Boogeymen II: Teenage Wasteland
by Legend Maker
Summary: Halloween is here. The end has come. Who will survive? What truths will be revealed? And most importantly of all...will the door finally be closed? And even if they survive...will the Hive ever be the same? Is it over?...Is it ever?
1. Alteration

**_Boogeymen II: Teenage Wasteland_**

"On Hallowe'en the old ghosts come about us, and they speak to some, to others they are dumb."

_Hallowe'en_, Eleanor Farjean

Part 1: Alteration

_It's different on the other end._

Or so Robin thought as he stood there in the darkness, waiting.

_We just thought we'd have some fun on Halloween. Watch a few cheesy horror films and have a time of it. And then it happened._

_It invaded our home, our lives, our existence. Creatures of fiction became terrible reality._

_We drove them back in the end, but something Starfire said stuck with me. On that night, through no fault of our own, we opened a door to another place. Did we close the door and seal it…or just close it?_

_You would think the answer was obvious…_

_And yet here we are on Halloween again…_

_And we find ourselves…_

"Activating now!"

And the room Robin was in flooded with light, as the entire T-Tower lit up like a Christmas tree, though since the sun hadn't fully set yet it wasn't that obvious.

"Emergency backup BACKUP generators are online and hooked up and ready to go if god forbid history repeats itself on THIS October 31st." Cyborg said as he came out from behind a mass of machinery.

Robin nodded.

"Good. Though technically it was October 30th last year." He said.

"Don't jinx us man…" Cyborg complained.

"Not my intention." Rob replied.

_What happened was a fluke…maybe. But fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice…doesn't happen._

_It's different on the other end of the knowledge spectrum.

* * *

_

Indeed.

"Scalpel, you can put that down for dinner." Savior said.

"No!" Nigel Hastings, aka Scalpel protested as he clutched the very large chair leg he had held in one hand.

"You can keep the stick at your side, but holding it at the table is rude."

"You guys can tolerate rudeness for one evening then!" Scalpel said, refusing to let go of his stick. Savior half sighed and half chuckled to himself, and continued to eat the spaghetti that was his dinner. Scalpel tried to do the same while holding onto his makeshift club, without much success. The other two people at the table, Beast Boy and Sophie, giggled in amusement.

"Scalpel, really, that's not necessary." Savior finally said again.

"I'm not letting go of my stick!"

"Is he usually like this?" Savior asked Beast Boy.

"Tonight's a special night. Special as in potentially very very bad. Last time we barely survived, THIS time we're not getting caught with our pants down." Beast Boy said.

"Indeed." Raven said, as she appeared out of the shadows. "I have magicked and charmed this place seven ways from Sunday. If you even look at a wall the wrong way, something bad will happen to you."

"Good!" Scalpel said, though he still refused to let go of his stick.

It was Halloween night, and the first in a break in tradition for the Titans. Normally, they would have spent the night to themselves.

The previous year had changed all that.

This year, the Teen Titans had thrown their bridge to the mainland up and decorated it for Halloween, and positioned several Titans (at the moment Starfire, Terra, and Gauntlet) at the end to give the kids candy. And if anyone decided to attack them, they would find out the hard way that the decorations concealed the fact the bridge was armed to the teeth with non-lethal weaponry, as was the entire Tower. Anyone who wanted to spoil their night was going to regret it, BIG TIME.

ANYONE.

Though you wouldn't think anyone believed that they were prepared, the way Scalpel and Beast Boy were eating, as Robin walked in.

"Ok we…Scalpel why are you holding a chair leg?"

"I sent my weapons away to get duplicated in case one broke, and of course they delay returning them until Halloween is past! So I have to make due with my stick!"

"…Ok. Well, we've checked all the systems. Everything is closed, sealed, locked up, and backed up. This building is as secure and protected as technology can make it." Robin said.

"Same on the magical and mystic front." Raven said.

"And everyone has at LEAST one gun." Robin added. "Except Scalpel, due to the whole thing about his species being vulnerable to guns."

"I have my stick!"

"Really Scalpel, put that down." Sophie said.

"No!"

"Scalpel…" Sophie said as she tried to take the chair leg from her boyfriend.

"No!"

Sophie bonked Scalpel lightly on the nose with her spoon, and the alien let go of his chair leg to mockingly hold his nose, as Sophie swiped away his weapon and ran. Showing a scary amount of grace and agility, Scalpel leapt up on the table and leapt after his girlfriend, all without upsetting or even disturbing a single dish.

"Well that was impressive." Beast Boy commented as Scalpel left the room.

"Most impressive." Savior said. "Really though, I wonder…"

And then Savior's fork dipped as a powerful wince crossed his features, and he placed a hand to his head as all the Titans looked at him.

"Savior?"

"Tired…" Savior replied.

"Here, we have a room for you. Come on." Robin said, as he helped Savior up and out of the kitchen, taking him to a small cool room with a soft bed nearby. "You can rest here, out of sight."

"Thank you, but it's not that bad…" Savior said as he sat down. "I'm not used to doing this for so long…but give me an hour or two and I'll be fresh as possible…which will certainly be useful if this inanity you spoke of somehow happens again…I mean…it's too weird even for me!"

Robin made an amused, dismissive noise.

"Weirdness is part of our life…'Savior'."

Savior's face was melting, his long white hair vanishing into his head, his white clothes shifting into a grey full body suit, his hair becoming black and thin, and his features androgynous. With several seconds, Savior was completely gone.

"So is being prepared. Which is why you're here for us, putting up the appearance of Savior still being here, while he's off on his undercover mission. And we appreciate it, Dopplegang Man." Robin continued.

"Appreciation is all fine and good. I just want to make sure I get paid." Dopplegang Man said, Noel's dark eloquent tone replaced by a dry, cool voice.

"You'll get paid. This is hard on you and effort should be rewarded."

"Then I'll keep putting it forth." Dopplegang Man said, as he sipped from a water bottle. A second later, Cyborg entered the room.

"You doing ok Doppleman?"

"Dopplegang." Dopplegang Man corrected. "Yes I am fine, just a little weary. Though since I heard that the last time you attempted this tactic you used a robot double, I question why you couldn't do so again. Could you not effectively duplicate your Savior with technology?"

"That I could do. The problem was that I couldn't load much in the way of speech in the verbal program, and N-Savior's got a habit of talking, and a lot. I figured it would look suspicious. It was just easier to spread a rumor he'd been injured and hence were looking after the Tower, and make sure that it had veracity with an actual Savior being observed."

"I still don't much like it." Raven said as she shifted into the room (Dopplegang Man, though he said nothing, had a clear look on his face that said "What, is EVERYONE going to visit me?"). "This tactic was risky the first time we did it. Let alone doing it again."

"Yeah Rae, it is, and normally I wouldn't have gone for it, even with Savior's argument of them never expecting us of doing the same trick twice. But when Blood stole all my tech and turned himself into a ripoff of me, he also inherited all the ways my tech can be exploited. The difference is, his ego blinds him a lot more then mine does." Cyborg said, as he pointed at his head. "With the chip I created that the Shimmer inserted into Savior's head, every attempt Blood makes to read his mind or control him will be diverted into a computer program that will project the information of Savior's cover story or give Blood the false impression that he is brainwashing him, including making him see Savior's eyes glowing. That lets Savior walk in through the front door, be accepted without suspicion, and get the information he needs. And we need to find out about this big new super base the Hive is supposedly working on. We had enough trouble with the OLD ones: a fancy new one could cause us all sorts of headaches unless we get some advance info. And I know Savior can get it."

"Because he won't be distracted like you?" Raven said, the pleasant sarcasm holding just the tiniest undertone of true nastiness. Cyborg let it slide.

"Yes, no, whatever. In any case, he's in, he's inserted, and he'll get us our info. And while he is, Doppledude will make sure everything thinks Savior is right where he should be."

"DOPPLEGANG MAN." Dopplegang Man said with some irritation.

"He knows. He's just messing with you." Robin said, smirking.

"I know. I still don't appreciate it." Dopplegang Man said: apparently he didn't have much of a sense of humor. "But if you would like my two cents, I do not think you need to worry Miss Raven. The one I mimic, the way you speak of him, I am certain he will do well, and speaking as a veteran of undercover assignments, that is really saying something. In any case, I'd say his chances of failure are better then of this event you're all on your toes over happening."

"Look man, don't start. You weren't there." Cyborg said, as Raven departed through the shadows again.

"Maybe not, but look at it from my perspective. I mean…horror movies coming to life, you being subjected to some kind of strange rules, you all losing your abilities just to make you vulnerable…it sounds like a bad horror story written by some talentless hack."

"Maybe, but that's what happened. But not this year. This year, things are going to be different." Cyborg said.

"If you say so. I still say you're all bonkers. But you're not paying me for my opinion. I'd like to rest now." Dopplegang Man said as he lay down on the bed. Robin and Cyborg nodded and left the shapeshifter to rest.

Robin was a little surprised to find Starfire in the hallway. Taking a silent cue, Cyborg said something about checking the security systems for the fifth time and departed.

"Hey Star. What's up?"

"The children are beginning to arrive, which is good: I feared that Rob and Tara would eat all the candy beforehand…" Starfire said, though her voice lacked her usual good cheer. Robin picked up on it immediately.

"What's wrong Star?"

"The sun is beginning to fully set…night is coming…"

"Starfire, we have done everything in our power to make sure nothing happens, and god forbid if it does, we'll be ready."

"I still feel a deep sense of unease Robin."

"I know Star. But look at all the evidence. Control Freak's remote is gone. The only things that'll be finding it again are the deepest denizens of hell. The security system is working perfectly: no exposed panels, no glitches, nothing. We have gone through the whole Tower: there is not a single horror film on the premise. The ones we own, Gar has put in a storage facility clear across town, and we've even cut the TV cable for the night so we can't see any on the television. And even if after all of THAT, they make a try…well, they're gonna regret it." Robin said, as he patted his fully loaded utility belt.

"I suppose Robin…I know this place is protected…what I wonder about is…other places."

"Other places."

"We opened a door last year Robin. We may not have meant to, but we did. If we could…why couldn't someone else?"

"Well Star…we can't be everywhere at once. But like I said, last year was a unique situation. Heck, on top of all that other stuff, tonight's perfectly clear, not a cloud in the sky, let alone a thunderstorm. Nearest rain's fifty miles away. Star, I swear to you, we have done everything we can, on top of what our plane of existence has." Robin said. "Really, what place could possibly duplicate what happened last year?"

* * *

Brother Blood's eyes blazed. 

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY SCHOOL!"

* * *

(Blood rains down on the screen, forming words)

LEGEND MAKER PRESENTS…

A LEGENDARY JEDI PRODUCTION…

(Many blades slash through the background, and the flesh forms out more words)

**_BOOGEYMEN II:_**

**_TEENAGE WASTELAND_**

**_LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR_**

(Blood explodes, covering the screen)

* * *

Writer's Note To New Readers: The following story utilizes the HIVE I have shown in my story Sins of Youth, which features many new HIVE members created by me and also by the author Jedi-And. You don't HAVE to read it to understand this story…but it will help.

* * *

And speaking of blood exploding, Brother Blood was still doing just that, albeit in a far less visceral way. 

"I am not running a school to indulge the teenage need for fornication Miss Foster!"

Blood and another person, a young woman, sat in a large, well furnished office. The furnishings were the best part of the place: The walls were rather decayed with age, plaster clinging on to dear life, while everything else in the room itself was quite high tech, even though said high tech wasn't up to any of the bases the HIVE had had before. Brother Blood, freshly escaped from prison and once again the leader to the HIVE, sat in the big chair behind the large curved yellow desk, while on the other side in one of the two small wooden chairs was the fiery teacher just mentioned, Danielle Foster, also known as Scorcher. A pyrokinetic with a polite southern manner and an old fashioned dressing sense including wearing a petticoat, she was the leader of a group of metas called the Elementals, five women who each possessed a power relating to an element. Scorcher had joined the Hive for her own personal reasons, her fellow Elementals following suit, and at the moment she was a teacher in the Hive mostly because she was far too powerful and learned to be a student. Indeed, the only reason Blood had any control over her at all was the knowledge he possessed that she dearly wanted.

Even though he sometimes wondered if he had any control at all.

"Every school is there to indulge such things." Scorcher replied offhandedly with a smile. Blood didn't return it.

"MISS FOSTER, I will admit that perhaps some advice should be offered so the little ragamuffins don't start breeding like rabbits, but you spent a lesson in which you should have been teaching how to properly disable various levels of authorities instead talking about how to get someone into bed as quickly and efficiently as possible, and that is A DIFFERENT MATTER! I don't want you spending the entirety of one of my lessons on it!"

"Oh lighten up Blood. It was just one lesson."

"ONE LESSON! Do you have any idea how much you are ENCOURAGING the little bastards?" Blood bellowed, as he pulled out a remote control and turned to the nearby wall on which a collection of screens were piled upon each other to form a large mosaic. Pictures immediately popped up on the screens of many of the areas in this, the temporary HIVE base (Which was once an abandoned old high-school, so old it actually had a tall clock tower, and abandoned for years for being way too out of the way and too run down to rebuild before Blood moved in with his students, minions, and robot helpers to fix it up as best as possible while he waited for his massive airship to be finished. They had actually built onto the old structure so much it was nearly three times as big as before, and a good chunk of those areas had been cleaned up, his office notwithstanding), and he proceeded to highlight a few scenes.

The first were two figures, One was a woman, with electric yellow hair in the general shape of an upside down lightning bolt with a strand or two of wavy hair over her face, wearing a tight yellow and black t-shirt and tight shorts over excessively toned, very long, very strong legs. She was kind of cute in a bubbly sort of way. She was attached to another figure by the hips: A slightly taller Greek-looking man, with slicked back black hair that flowed into outward spikes, wearing a blue and silver costume with what seemed to be streamers hanging from his limbs and belt lines. He too was also attached to her 'by the hips', his closer arm on her spare hip while her arm was around his back. This was the (somewhat unpredictable) couple of Zippy and Hermes, the former being the yellow young female, and one of the Elementals, and the latter being the streamer-wearing male. They were the speedsters of the Hive; one could move at the speed of lightning and the other could tap into the Speed Force. They were a couple, for the moment. They were known for going steady, in their pattern anyway; break up, steady, break up, steady, on, off, on, off. When they were off, casual observers could have sworn they hated each other, though at the moment they were on. I suppose one could say they really did like each other; it was just that they sometimes lost patience with their respective partner, as both were used to being fast. It was the reason they dated in the first place, as everyone else was too slow for their tastes. Though at the moment they were walking at a normal pace, meandering around the corridors.

Blood highlighted another screen, which was of the current cafeteria as dinner was served. Some of the men were hitting on another of the Elementals. She was a tall amazon of a woman with a supermodel figure, wearing a short dress going from her oh-so ample breasts and down to her high thigh region in a pale, pastel pink. Long light blonde hair streamed down from her head, which wore a picture perfect face, with beautiful eyes and full lips. Her only fault was that her skin was a near white silver metallic colour, probably because it WAS metal. But it still moved like flesh, and it felt like flesh, though it was much stronger like metal. She was looking around to find a place to sit as she carried a tray of food, walking in a way that could only be described as the style of a catwalk girl. Every male Meta who was warm blooded and straight turned and noticed her, and as soon as the men noticed she was looking for a place to sit, they all offered a place for her to sit down. She eventually sat down next to a group of men, consisting of a black haired Spanish 'pretty boy' known as the 'sexiest' man on campus, a slightly geeky young adult in a HIVE robe, a man in a long coat with mild dreadlocks and lots of leather straps, and a man in a metal bee suit. Also known as Progeny, Rhinoceros Beetle, Flay and Buzz Bomb, four newer students. They were just four of five though: the last student was even newer. He was a pure jock type, over six feet tall with broad shoulders and thick legs, a square jaw with a chin possessing a slight dimple, wide cheekbones, baby blue eyes, and long blonde hair tied into a ponytail at the moment. He wore a golden skintight costume with circuit running through it and large gray boots, and the reason for his large frame was quickly apparent, as his arms, shoulders, and chest were covered with an elaborate mechanical chassis, like a half completed robotic suit, incredibly thick metal gauntlets covering both his hands and forearms, gauntlets loaded with tech. Despite the heavy looking and awkward machinery, the student moved with relatively no effort, though at the moment all he was doing was staring at the ravishing metal girl.

She smiled to everyone around her, then yawned and stretched, although this wasn't intentional, as she had had a late night. Nonetheless she still offered a good view to all the men in front of her, who had all become infatuated, to varying degrees, with her plentiful bosom.

"Could someone pass the salt?" She asked after she had finished.

Five hands all shot forward offering salt, and she laughed. She had them around her little finger, even if she didn't want them. All she did do was offer a slight smile as she took a sip from her mug. Well, she was Platinum Blonde, and whatever she did, whether it was smashing or seducing, she was always damn good at it.

Blood turned to Scorcher, who just stared and chuckled to herself.

"You think this is good?"

"Apart from how good it would be for later on in life, when your brain isn't overflowing with hormones, I also taught it to them so they could seduce and distract heroes, but this scene seems a good thing as well."

"How so?"

"Well now you can breed soldiers I suppose." She continued to laugh.

"Not funny Miss Foster."

"I didn't actually mean it to be." Scorcher said as she calmed down.

"I don't need my students to be 'pre-occupied' if you see what I mean. The ones that have fought the Titans have always lost, and I don't want history repeating itself with the latest batch! And if they are going to win, they cannot be focused so much on coition!" Blood snapped…and then got a wicked grin on his face. "Though Lucinda will be pleased once she gets back from her trip. She's always looking for something new to experiment on."

The way the color drained out of Scorcher's face was victory enough for Blood.

"Speaking of something new, I have to go and interview a potential new student. He calls himself Control Freak. He kept blabbing on about himself being a techno-sorcerer and a master of all reality…from what I was able to gather through his ego stroking he said his special power was a gadget he made." Blood continued, getting up from his large chair. "So you can go for now, but don't think our debate on this debauchery is over. We WILL continue to discuss this later."

Scorcher gave a somewhat condescending nod in reply as she followed him out, but he noticed it and stopped at the door. "I mean it Miss Foster. If one of them skips class to play 'backseat of a Desoto' I'm taking it out of you."

"Do they even make Desoto's any more? Or is that showing your age?"

A vein throbbed on the still organic side of Blood's head.

"What would be closer to your age group? A Delorian perhaps?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Shucks, Delorians aren't even in my age group, I only came into existence in the 80's."

"Unless you are over 50, I'm not sure you have a right to complain about your age." Blood replied.

"Yeah, but I'm older than these kids. And that's besides the point. You're all cross; this gonna spill over? You're not going to ruin their party tonight are you?" The southerner asked. Blood just grumbled some as he continued to hold onto the door, in mid exit.

"Are you?"

Silence.

"Downtime and reaction is important Blood, no matter what your success/failure rate is. They've been planning and looking forward to this. And y'all catch more flies with honey then with vinegar."

"All right, all right. I will not interfere or censor your precious party. Auuggh, why do I put up with you?"

"The fact I could melt your head doesn't spring to mind?"

And so the two of the highest-ranking members of the HIVE at that time left the Principal's office, which had a slip of paper on the door labeled 'Headmaster'. The room was quiet, all except for the monitors that had been left on and playing.

Now we move in to one of the screens, as the camera follows the young Miss Zippy and young Master Hermes. We pass through the monitor, through the camera and arrive as the proverbial fly on the wall as the two love birds walked and talked.

Or in Hermes' case, walked and groped.

"Ezhno." A fast voice said, a fast voice that strained to speak slowly as the owner's amber face flushed with embarrassment. You could tell it wasn't an act, as she was using the Hive member's real name, while Hermes traced and explored her lines with his hand, even as she tried to push him away. But because she had him around the waist, and he had hold of her in general, they didn't actually separate.

"You're… embarrassing. Me." She spoke slowly, but it was obvious that it was a strain.

"Come on, we're attached at the hip for the moment, and seeing as we are then one person I'm allowed to take some liberties with my body."

"AndI'msuposedtobethefasttalker?" She taunted, slipping back in to her usual overclocked record tone.

"Slow down, slow down." He joked.

"Whatdoyoumeanslowdownyouhategoingslowyoudespiseityoutellmetoslowdownyourhypocriteyououghttabeslowerinalotofthings…!"

"I'm fast where it counts." Hermes said, lavishly wiggling his eyebrows, and before Zippy could reply he pinched her butt and then was gone before she could retaliate. She made an annoyed noise under her breath. They were both fast, but Zippy's speed was natural and therefore, limited. Her max speed was a rough 900 miles an hour. Hermes, endowed with the extradimensional energies of the Speed Force, could go at 1000 miles a SECOND. And while other Speed Force users (The Flash being the primary one) could go much much faster, that was still more then enough to always leave Zippy in the dust.

Well that's what HE thought…

* * *

And since Hermes could go so fast, he was able to make his trip in a short amount of time, to say the least, as he ran around and through the makeshift base, past the wing for the dormitory and the storage rooms for a variety of things, past the old clock tower the school had and through the many different obstacle courses and training rooms next to and around it, past old boiler rooms and over bridges strung over rooms filled with larger parts for the ship, and more storage rooms and the other dormitory wing before he arrived at the cafeteria, where he zipped in, got the best food he could (even if it wasn't his), and left before anyone could say anything. 

"Hey! My Mars Bar!" Progeny yelled. "What the hell!"

"Shouldn't eat so much candy anyway. You'll run to fat." Flay said from his position perched on the edge of a bench, his eyes narrowed and a whip in his hand.

A book flew through the air.

A loud buzzing suddenly sounded off as Flay snapped up his whip, the weapon coursing with some kind of electrical energy, and lashed out, moving so fast no one could see the individual moves.

The book fell in four neat pieces in front of Flay.

"Hahahahaha! Awesome!" Said a black teen wearing a green and white outfit and a large helmet on his head whose distinguishing feature was the large mechanical eye in the center of his forehead. His name was Seemore, and he had thrown the book, with Flay's knowledge, because he wanted to see just how good he was at his whips. Flay hadn't let him down yet. "Ha ha! I thought I had a good eye, but that's something else!"

"The best are remembered." Flay said, coiling the whip around his arm.

"Do it again! Do it again!"

"Oui, oui!" Platinum Blonde agreed: she liked showmanship as much as any girl.

"Well find something for be to do it with." Flay said.

"Do it later." Said a new voice, as a new figure passed by the table. This teen was also black, and wore a patchwork costume and snarled, tangled hairstyle that made it seem like he was horribly disorganized, when he was anything but. His name was Juryrig, and he was another new Hive member who was on track to be the head graduate of the latest class. As a result he'd begun to try and act like a leader where he could.

Which was harder then it sounded in a cafeteria full of rambunctious teenagers with superpowers and/or high tech.

Juryrig's power was a unique form of telekinesis that allowed him to assemble inanimate objects into new shapes to form weapons, tools, creatures, or whatever he could come up with. At the moment he was commanding a giant hand made of old wood pieces and pillows, which was holding one end of a large crate that he was, through the hand, carrying through the room. The other end of the crate was being held by a tall, massive girl made completely out of stone: Rocko, another Elemental. While the crate wasn't heavy, it was awkward, and hence Juryrig didn't want people throwing stuff in his path or otherwise disrupting it.

"Awwww!" Seemore groused.

"Just wait until we get these damn flashlights into the nearest storage area and you can start fucking around again." Juryrig said. "We need to be careful: one of those giant laser lense thingies that are going to be on the new bases' main guns is in there and we can't risk cracking it! Blood will have our hides! Arturo, you're in the way: could you move please?" Juryrig said, speaking to Progeny and using his real name.

"But of course." Progeny replied.

And then his head fell off.

Followed by his arms and legs.

They didn't fall far though, as his now limbless and headless torso floated up, the fallen bits floating and swirling around him. This was Progeny's power, a strange ability labeled "psychic surgery", a name most likely stolen from a TV show. Progeny could break his body apart without any ill effects: he could throw his arm at you, remove his eye and look behind him, remove his jaw and bite you, or all of the above and more. His body was protected via some kind of shield when he was in that state, which kept his innards inside and working and somehow kept his limbs from dying from blood loss and also allowed the minor hovering ability, so as a result Progeny could literally break himself down into dozens of pieces and fly through the air and attack. It was a disturbing and rather disgusting power, but despite that fact it hadn't stopped Progeny from being the No 1 ladykiller on campus. Probably because he was a handsome and charming bastard, disgusting power aside.

Progeny swirl-floated over and under the crate and reformed on the other end.

"Was that really necessary?" Juryrig asked.

"Perhaps." Progeny said, as he tossed off his forearm with a loud popping noise. It returned holding his food tray. "Perhaps not." He said, as his arm reattached, and with that he moved on. Juryrig shook his head and continued moving the crate of flashlights with Rocko.

Nearby, Wilby Tierney, aka Rhinoceros Beetle, spit out his drink.

"You killed your best friend?"

"Just friend small fry. No best in it." The newest Hive member, Flense, said, as he held out an arm. From his apparatus, twin metal tendrils shot out, small metal tentacles that might have had Doctor Octopus considering a lawsuit if he existed in this universe, tentacles that retrieved an apple from his tray.

"But why?"

"He and I were both up for the same football scholarship. There could be only one. So I cut his brakes. He chose to drive the car. I would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for my snooping mother." Flense said. From the tendrils, long thin blades shot out, and began to peel the apple.

"But…but…"

"Stop looking at me like that wiener. That's life. Either you grab the brass ring or someone else will. You want it, you get it, no matter the cost. We were put on this Earth with free will and the desire to get ahead: we should not be condemned for how we choose to use this. I wanted that scholarship, I got it. If it hadn't been for my damn mom finding the brake schematics and figuring it on I'd probably be in the NFL. But she put me on the run. Well, I landed on my feet." Flense said, as he finished peeling the apple, one long strand of skin on the table.

"…And that got you that?" Wilby asked.

"Yep. Ran a fair distance, changed my name, found my size could hurt people in more then one way, hired myself out, broke a few legs, ran into some supergeek weenies who were probably your cousins, they wanted to have a test subject for their new Steel and Connect…no wait, Kini…Kini-Kinetics, that's it, Interface for Nerve…nerve something, Nerve System, Nerve of the guy, something. S.K.I.N. They liked me, they put it on me, they asked me to get more money for their research, I robbed a few banks, got bored, killed them, and went on my way. Eventually I found this place. I already learned a lot on how to use this gear on my own, but this school will teach me the rest. And once I do, the world is my…my…well, something good!"

"But…did you really have to kill them?" Wilby asked.

"You been listening?" Flense said, and then three large blades snapped out of one of his metal tentacles. "You either get what you want in this world, or you get. Out of. MY WAY."

The blades slashed through the apple.

And Wilby, feeling very disturbed, got up and left the table with his meal. Flense snorted.

"Pussy." He said, as he laid his perfectly sliced apple on his tray and began eating it slice by slice.

Wilby hurried past another table at which three people were sitting at, all very different in looks. One was a redheaded teenage girl in a dark blue purple costume: her name was Shimmer. She could transmute elements and compounds, and also happened to be Mammoth's younger sister. The second girl looked like a younger and cuter Poison Ivy: light green skin, hair made out of flower petals, costume that was composed of various plants, albeit far more covering ones then the seductive Miss Isley usually wore. She was Floral, the last of the Elementals, and she could control all plants (except trees, and if you asked her why she yelled at you, so most people learned not to ask).

And the last was a very new Hive student: he had join at roughly the same time Flense had. He was a rather streamlined young man, dressed completely in black with a few hints of gray. He wore black boots that had a slight topping of dark gray fur, black pants, a black armored shirt, black gloves, and a black and gray belt covered with pouches and packs. On his forearms were metallic and plastic gauntlets, but while Flense's were huge, this teen's armament were small and streamlined like their wielder. What he looked like was a complete mystery, for the teen wore a black helmet that completely covered his head. The face was composed of dark mirrored glass, one-way: the teen could see out but no one could see in. On the side of the helmet were darkish-silver attachments that looked like long ears, Spock on steroids. Finally, the shoulders of the costume had flared black material pointing up and out like feathers, from which long trails of willowy black material streamed down from, reaching roughly the figure's waist and making it look like he had wings when he leapt through the air.

His name was Nightwalker, and that was pretty much all the Hive knew about him. While Flense hadn't been too forthcoming with details of his life (All the Hive knew was he claimed his real name was Oz: whether that was first, last, middle, nick, or even his name at all was unknown), Nightwalker had revealed absolutely nothing, not even his face. He always seemed to time his showers and bathroom trips so that no one saw him with his helmet off. Even now, when eating, the helmet glass that concealed his features was only raised high enough to show a slight hint of his mouth, and with the shadows around the helmet even that was hard to make out. And while he did talk, it wasn't very often, and the helmet often muffled his voice, reducing it to a dry, arid tone that some found a bit unnerving. Most of the students figured he was either arrogant or working way too hard on his impression of the man who had clearly inspired his costume, and decided to just ignore him unless they no longer felt the need to.

Floral didn't pay him much mind: she had her own problem.

"This isn't funny!" She said, looking at her tray, which consisted of a lone hot dog bun.

"Really? What's the joke?" Shimmer asked, as Nightwalker sipped from a juice box.

"People seem to confuse the fact that I am made of plants with the fact that some people think it's healthy to just eat plants, the murderers!"

"I don't…ahhh, right. The Simpsons joke with the piss poor vegetarian alternative meal." Shimmer said. "Why didn't you notice until now though Rose?"

"I didn't! I had a hot dog in this and cookies! Now I don't!"

"Hermes again, the annoying bugger." Shimmer said. Normally, she was very shy, but in the presence of the similarly shy Floral and the silent Nightwalker, her normal moods were less then they usually would be.

Floral hmmmpphed at her stolen meal, and then looked at Nightwalker. "Did you see anything?"

Nightwalker just shook his head.

Back at the other table, Juryrig and Rocko entered the cafeteria again and sat down at the table they had passed by earlier.

"Ok, knock yourself out." Juryrig told Seemore, essentially giving him permission to resume playing the whip game with Flay.

"Ok! Heh, found a real challenge for you this time Simon!" Seemore said, using Flay's real name.

"Oh? What?"

"This!" Seemore said, holding up a crowbar. "I followed Julian (Juryrig) and Lorant (Rocko) to the storage room and was seized by inspiration! Can you slice and dice this?"

"I'll need my best whip and some room." Flay said as he hopped up and reached for his belt, even as he withdrew a metallic handle. A quick hand gesture extracted something from his coat and inserted it in the handle, and then a long golden strand of energy sprang from the handle and coiled down to the floor, where it sizzled.

"All right Flay, let's see just how damn good you are!" Seemore said, and hurled the crowbar at Flay like a spear.

A golden blur of power slashed through the air, and then a hand snapped up and caught the crowbar, as Flay grabbed it in mid air.

He turned it upright.

And then the hook end of the crowbar slid off, revealing a sharp spike.

"Cut it and saved my life. Impressed?" Flay asked. Seemore just stared.

"…Man, I can't believe my eye." Seemore said, as the table gave Flay light applause as he turned off his energy whip.

"No more tricks for now Seemore. Those energy packets are hard to make." Flay said, sitting down. Not knowing what to do with his new metal toothpick, he left it on a nearby bench.

"Nice work. You use those whips for other things?" Flense asked.

"What?"

"Oh come on, surely…"

Whatever Flense might have said was cut off as Gizmo suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"SEE IT AND WEEP, SNOTHEADS!" He said as he slammed down a large piece of rolled out paper on the table.

Everyone stared at it.

"…Gizmo, what the hell is this?" Juryrig asked.

"This is my proof that you all suck and I'm great!"

"Oh really. How about you answer my question?"

"This is the blueprint of the device I have completed in the basement. Everyone told me I could not build a machine off a vague comic book reference, but I proved those pitsniffers wrong! This is my Intrinsic Field Remover!"

"_Quoi?"_ Platinum Blonde said.

"It's a machine that removes intrinsic fields!"

"What in the fuck are gin-gin-gin…and tonic fields?" Flense asked.

"What, don't you have a brain?"

"Aren't you still a virgin?"

"What the crud does that have to do with anything! Shut up! You're distracting me! What matters is that I built it!"

"Great. So what is it?"

"An Intrinsic Field Remover!"

"Well what does it do?"

Gizmo started to explain in technospeak so complicated he might as well have been talking in Swahili.

"Gizmo." Rocko finally interrupted. "How about…you just tell us…in layman's terms…in a sentence."

"Fine. It removes objects' intrinsic fields. If you bothered to listen to me, you would understand that this causes their utter disintegration."

"…So you built a more complicated way to kill people?" Flense said.

"Complicated smoblacated! They said I couldn't, and I did! And I'll test it for all of you if you'll accompany me downstairs to the sub-basement! Rocko, you can be my guinea pig!"

"What?"

"You're not alive! You're some weird spirit animating a bunch of stones! I could vape you and you'd just have to go make a new body, so why don't you act useful for a change and…"

Rocko's fist slammed down in front of Gizmo, the loud noise startling the cafeteria into silence.

"I do not…miss twice." Rocko said, as she removed her fist from the table, large dents in the metal structure, and sat down again.

"…Got it." Gizmo said. "I…think I'll get some food." He said quickly, and flew off.

He flew past Progeny and another new Hive student who tended to keep to herself, due to the fact that she was being trained as a spy rather then a fighter. She was a rather thin girl with brown hair pulled behind her in a high ponytail and a thin but wholesome face, dressed in a Hive robe. At the moment she was staring at her plate, blushing, mostly due to the fact that Progeny had sat down next to her and revealed he had heard a very embarrassing piece of information about her regarding him. Specifically, he was who she wanted.

"Now Melanie…that is your real name right?"

"Yes." Melanie said quietly.

"Right. Melanie, we may be considered teenagers' in age, but that does not mean we cannot make adult decisions. And sometimes adults decide that a little fling can just be that…a fling…"

Melanie said nothing, even as she blushed more furiously then before.

"However…while I am not arrogant…I must admit I have…preferences…but you…you are in luck. I know what your power is. You can change your shape and face."

* * *

"Oh come on!" Dopplegang Man complained from his bed. "Using the same power twice in one chapter? What kind of a hack is writing this anyway!"

* * *

"Now I know…this is hard for you…takes a long time…hence why you're being trained for espionage rather then combat…but Melanie…or Looker, if I may call you by your code name, may I?" 

"…Yes." Melanie said.

"Melanie…you by yourself are…quite pretty…but I…well…let's just say…my tastes run to the tall…the statuesque…and the blonde. And since you can do that…well…let's just say that if you find the time and effort to put yourself in my preferred way…it'd be easier…if you still want to go through with it. The choice is yours. I'll be waiting. I'm sure you'll make the right one." Progeny said, as he hopped up from his seat and strolled away.

"Smooth bastard." Shimmer muttered from her seat.

"How can anyone possibly fall for that nonsense?" Floral asked. Nightwalker shrugged.

"As far as I've heard, he's not violent or a rapist. Baran learned that when he warned him not to go near me: Arturo said he only dances with the willing. Though I must admit, he may not realize how much he leads the dance…" Shimmer said.

There was a sudden commotion in the kitchen, and then suddenly the doors opened violently.

"…id cat!" Came a loud yell, and then a chef in dirty white clothes with a large knife came running out of the doors, chasing what was revealed to be a small black cat with white paws, which was running for its life. "YOU'VE EATEN MY CHICKEN FOR THE LAST TIME! I'm going to use your insides to make a new tennis racket…!"

And then the chef's feet went out from under him, and he flew into the air and landed on his back with a yell and a groan.

"Don't threaten my kitty." Shimmer said, as she knelt up from where she had run over to the path the chef was following and turned the immediate surface of the ground into soap. The kitten ran into her arms.

"It's ok Mittens…that nasty old man won't hurt you…" Shimmer cooed to her pet as she headed out of the cafeteria. "But why are you looking for food…sigh…Llarenes..."

"Never a dull moment." Floral remarked to Nightwalker…who didn't reply. "Hey! Can you even talk?"

Nightwalker didn't reply. Floral facevaulted.

Wilby's noise crinkled at the musty smell that was prevalent in at the new table he was sitting at. The cafeteria that the Hive was eating in at the moment was not the abandoned school's original cafeteria: that had been across the 'campus', and had apparently been left with more then a few perishable items lying around. The result was the place stank like hell and the Hive had swiftly found they could not, would not eat there. They had retreated back to some old classrooms, knocked down the walls, put in a kitchen there, and turned it into the new cafeteria. The only remnants that remained of the original was the best of the tables and benches the Hive had salvaged when they were originally building the new cafeteria and found that eating standing up was a pain, tables and benches that had mostly been gotten rid of later for better ones. Only two of the old sets remained, and most didn't sit at them unless they had to (why they hadn't been replaced as well, Wilby didn't know. Considering massive reconstruction wasn't difficult, even with the effort being put forth to build the new base, mainly thanks to nanotech and a Hive member that could produces hundreds of clones of himself), but Wilby felt sitting at the old table with its musty smell and softer, semi rotten in parts wood was better then sitting at a table with a stone cold killer…

At least until the juice box hit him in the back of the head.

Braying laughter accompanied it, as Wilby grimaced and glanced behind him. Speaking of Billy Numerous, whose clones were responsible for a good chunk of the repairs and modifications, there he was, laughing like an idiot, all four of him (Billy's training of his talent had found he was more comfortable in several bodies then in just one, and he only assumed one form if he had to). Sitting at the table, sharing his laughter, in considerably quieter ways, were Mammoth and the one Wilby was sure had thrown the box: Cord Radfory, aka Sabotage. A red haired teen in a military themed outfit, Sabotage had the power to manipulate probability in the actions of organic beings, similar to Jinx's hexes, but while Jinx's hex blasts did some complicated magical/mental arrangement that resulted in her bad luck powers causing things to (generally) explode, Sabotage's basically made people screw up, no matter what they were doing. He was also an asshole and a bully.

Wilby felt the brief urge to activate his power and go after him, but that urge was immediately defeated by the inevitable result. Trying to ignore him, Wilby turned back to his food. He waited about twenty-five seconds and, having decided they'd had enough, started opening his pudding.

Whatever the second object was, it was considerably heavier, as it slammed against Wilby's head, and caused him to knock over his pudding cup, spilling it on the tray and his hand. Wilby growled under his breath as the tables full of jackasses laughed again.

Floral was talking with Flay, who had moved over to their table because Seemore wouldn't quit pestering him for more whip tricks, and hence she wasn't looking at Nightwalker.

Hence the loud snap as he slid his helmet down startled her. She glanced at the teen, and she could tell that even with the concealment he wasn't happy.

Wilby was trying to clean his hand when another empty juice box hit him on the shoulder, followed by more laughter. Screw this. He'd rather sit with a killer who didn't much care for him then a bunch of assholes who cared too much in terms of bothering him, as he picked up his tray and started leaving…

The spot on the floor should have been far too small and inconsequential to matter, unless someone stepped on it with the exact amount of pressure and at the right angle. But in this case, (bad) luck was in the cards, as Wilby stepped on it and slipped, flying up and landing painfully on his back while his food fell through the air. If Wilby could be thankful for anything, it was the fact that his losing of his balance had caused him to violently throw his arms backwards and hence his food away from him. Such a thing was rather beyond his caring though, as he violently banged his head on the floor.

The table of jerks laughed again, by now having gotten the attention of most of the Hive, as Billy Numerous patted Sabotage on the back.

"Always good for a spot of 'tertainment!" Billy said in his hillbilly dialect.

"Heh, let's finish it with a bang." Sabotage said, as he procured one last juice box. "This one outta make a real big splash!"

By which Sabotage meant he'd manipulate Wilby's probability so that the juice box split on his head, as he raised it up, loosely clutched between his thumb and fore and ring finger, as he readied his toss as Wilby tried to get up.

And then the juice box exploded in his hand. Sabotage squawked as the fruit liquid instead splattered him.

"What in tarnation!" Billy said as drops of juice splashed on his 'sungoggles', even as another Billy turned around to scan the cafeteria…

It didn't take him long to find Nightwalker standing up, one of his gauntlets expanded open into a small barrel that was still aimed at Sabotage, even as the redhead wiped his face.

"Hey Cord! That darn polecat just interfered in your own particular dis-tra-bu-tion of your refreshment!" Billy said, as Sabotage found Nightwalker with his own eyes, glaring daggers at him.

"You fucking bastard! I'll show you what happens to those who fuck with me, dick…" Sabotage yelled as he went around the table.

Nightwalker's movement was so quick Sabotage couldn't kick in his probability powers, as the black clad teen leapt up on the table and bounced and flipped across the several tables separating the two, doing a one handed forward flip leap off the land one and landing in front of Sabotage before he could react in time, as the redhead found the same barrel that had issued the projectile pressed up against his chin.

"Go ahead. Use your powers to make it backfire." Nightwalker said in his cold tone. "Make my orb launcher malfunction. At worst it'll cost me a hand. It'll cost you your face. With today's tech I can always get a new hand. But they haven't discovered the technique to perfectly replace one's countenance yet. Though you could use one anyway. So go ahead asshole. Make my day."

Sabotage's eyes blazed.

And then a large hand made of wood and pillows was shoving itself between the two.

"Ok, break it up." Juryrig said as he walked up to the separated teens. "Cord, sit the fuck down and stop making trouble. You too Nightwalker. We don't need shit from you on top of his."

"You shit…" Sabotage began, but before he could finish the hand turned and shoved him against the bench of the table he was sitting at.

"I'll choose not to interpret that as a racist slur Cord, or else you'd have every table in this room stacked on your shit disturbing ass. Now BACK down or get PUT down."

Sabotage's eyes didn't calm, but he sat down anyway, tugging at his bandana.

"You all right?" Flay asked as he came over to help Wilby up.

"Yeah…yeah…" Wilby said, though he still seemed a little dizzy.

"You shouldn't take that shit. With your power, you could leave him a smear on the ground in one blow."

"I'd never get that blow off. He'd screw me up. And even if I could somehow hurt him…wouldn't matter. He'd just do something back later, except twenty times nastier. You can't beat someone who enjoys being an asshole Simon." Wilby said sadly.

"Don't be so sure…"

"ATEEEN-HUT!" A voice boomed through the room, and everyone stopped talking at the oh so well named Private Hive strolled through the door, continuing to blast away in Drill Sergeant. "Listen up ladies! Blood has given me the orders of how you will engage in your merriment tonight! These are your orders! You will-AHHHHH!" Private Hive yelled as he was suddenly barraged with debris, ranging from napkins to bits of food. "BEHAVE YOU PUKES!"

"Oh shut up and go back to kissing Blood's ass, Leonard!" Progeny cat-called, and tossed an empty juice box at Hive, who had by now retrieved his shield from somewhere and was hiding behind it.

"YOU MAGGOTS WILL LISTEN! Blood's orders are his orders! He decides you are worth the sweat off his brow and testicles to train and prepare, and you WILL listen, you…hey! Hey! Stop it Julian! You're supposed to set an example!" Hive yelled as Juryrig's hand flew over, one finger extended, that hit the shield and began pressing on it, shoving Hive back out of the room.

"Exactly." Juryrig replied.

"Go dig up Kubrick and blow him, you Emery wannabe!" Sabotage added as Hive was ejected.

"Ok people, before he comes back we better get started in case Blood tries to cut us off." Juryrig said. "Gizmo you had something you wanted to say?"

"Yeah! Listen up pitlickers! If you don't care for films and instead care for a buttkicking, I've got a video game setup in the room next to the main entertainment room that will blow your minds! So come one, come all, so I can knock you all down!" Gizmo crowed, flying around the room as he spoke and then leaving out the door.

"…Right. Anyway, the main setup is in the usual spot, food, movies, you know!" Juryrig said. Everyone went 'Hurrah!" in some way and began getting up to leave.

"Hey! Hermes! Since you stole our food, you can clean up!" Juryrig tossed over his shoulder as he left the room.

"Geez Buzz, that's your sixth coke in an hour! Stop before you force all the blood out of your veins!" Flay told the armored teen with the bee suit motif and the explosives expertise called Buzz Bomb, who was chugging back a familiar red can.

"Forget it! I don't even want my brain to even CONSIDER sleep tonight! Not if I want to figure out Gizmo's patterns so I can finally kill the bastard!" Buzz Bomb said, as he produced another Coke from somewhere and began chugging it down.

"Geez, no wonder you always suffer from insomnia." Flay muttered.

"If I'm awake, they can't get me!"

"No one is trying to get you Buzz."

"See! It's working!"

* * *

She kept packing, and she didn't know why. 

Llarenes Morath, aka Jinx, stood and stared at the two large metal/plastic suitcases that she had constantly been filling with clothes and her personal items on her bed. She'd done it again. She'd suddenly felt the need to go through all her stuff, select what she needed, practice packing it, use different arrangements, different items…and suddenly realize she didn't need to pack. At first she'd made the excuse that Blood might be moving them at any time and she wanted to be ready and not leave anything important behind, but as the weeks had dragged on and the time period on which the new base was to be completed remained far off, she began to realize that she was just fooling herself.

She kept packing because she wanted to be ready to leave quickly at any opportunity.

And why else would she be considering leaving, if not for…

No. It was stupid. It was just a silly fling. He'd betrayed her, her and her whole school, she didn't…

"Llarenes!" Came a sudden voice, and then Selinda Flinders, aka Shimmer, her roommate, stepped into the room, holding her cat Mittens. "You forgot to feed Mittens again! He had to go looking for food! You know Blood hates it when he wanders around: if he keeps doing it Blood will just zap him and then I won't have a pet any more! You promised to help look after him Llarenes! What gives!"

"…I…" Llarenes said, as Shimmer glanced behind and at the suitcases.

"Oh god, are we on this kick again? What, are you trying to set a world record Llarenes?"

"…I don't…I just…"

"Yeah I know. You really have no idea." Shimmer said, as she put Mittens down and found his food, which he promptly attacked as she poured it. "Jinx, I don't want to have to put a big sign on our wall that says "FEED MITTENS'. I know you're smarter then that. But really…pull your head out of the clouds!"

"…Sorry Selinda. I…you're right. I need to get off this." _Stop fooling myself that that stupid crush could be anything but. Nothing like something I would have to give my whole life up for. Nothing at all…_

"Well, ok then. You do that. They're starting the party: you may want to go there and have some fun in case that sorehead Blood changes his mind." Shimmer said, as she checked Mittens' water and litter box. Satisfied, she started leaving the room. "See you there Jinx."

"Yeah…" Jinx said, not looking at her roommate as she left. Instead she stared at her packed suitcases…and then suddenly feeling very foolish, she opened them up and began frantically unpacking, as if the suitcases could talk and would tell everyone about her unspoken reasons for packing.

She was in…

"Hey Pinky! You decent?" Came an annoying voice at the door, and then Gizmo strolled in before Jinx could have covered herself if she had been indecent. Jinx wasn't exactly thrilled by this.

"MIKRON! What are you DOING!" She yelled.

"Hey calm down! Was just telling you if you don't want to watch movies you can come play games. Even if you don't want to play me, I got a bunch of survival horror stuff, stuff appropriate for the night, you know? And don't call me Mikron. My name is Gizmo."

"Then don't barge into my room!"

"Why? I saw that picture that was distributed on the network." Gizmo said, and wiggled his eyebrows. His intention in the gesture was supposed to convey the joking way between friends, but apparently he had injected too much lasciviousness into it as Jinx's eyes began to glow.

"THAT WAS A PHOTOSHOP! GET OUT! GET OUT! OR I'LL SEND YOU OUT FEET FIRST!" Jinx yelled as she began throwing rolled up socks at Gizmo, who fled the room.

"Even so, it was one fine blend." Gizmo said, sticking his head back into sight around the door.

A box of tissues nailed him right between the eyes, and Gizmo yelled and was driven off, mockingly holding his head in pain.

Jinx sighed and resumed unpacking. She had to get out of this mindset. Or at least devolve into another. Maybe the party would help.

* * *

Hermes had been near enough to hear Juryrig's order to clean up: he'd done so within two seconds. Now he was leaning in the hallway, eating a Mars Bar and trying to slow down his speed addled brain enough so he could decide if he wanted to go back to Zippy and see if she'd forgive him or just avoid it altogether. When you were as fast as him, running away was sometimes the best option: distance helped appease more then most people realized. Usually. 

"Aha! Thereyouare!"

Hermes looked up as Zippy strolled down the hallway and stopped in front of him, hands on hips.

"Thoughtyoucouldgetawayhuh? Pervert!"

"And you love it." Hermes says.

"Timeandaplace! Anndletmetellyou…"

"Sal…please. I like speed but not in the voice if possible." Hermes said, as he finished the Mars Bar off and threw the wrapper on the floor. Zippy glowered at him.

"…Fine. You think that because you're faster then me you have the advantage…but I think that you're wrong, and I can prove it." Zippy said, straining over the simple sentence like it was the world's greatest tongue twister (which was, according to some sources, 'The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick.' Try saying it ONCE fast, or even slow).

"Oh really?"

"Yes! I challenge you to a race, same speed: 500 miles an hour! Through this complex! It won't be a matter of speed, but how well you can use the speed. First one from here to the main right security room wins!" Zippy said, and began gasping like she was out of breath. "Understand?"

"…Yes. You're on." Hermes said.

"Allright! NowI'llshowyouyoudegeneratethatyoumayhavethespeedbutIhaveitbetter!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Hermes said, as he stood next to Zippy.

"Andtrynottorunintoanyone!"

"Please."

"Oksmartass! ReadysetGO!"

And a second later all that was left in the hallway was the wind.

* * *

"I don't see why they don't listen to me." Private Hive sulked in the main entertainment room, from the table he was sitting at, dejectedly eating chips. 

"You have to understand Hive, leading is all about the carrot and the stick. Because Blood gives you orders, you think just using the stick will do. It doesn't work. Trust me." Scorcher said, as she ate another barbecued chip. The main entertainment area was festooned with Halloween decorations, including two very creepy scarecrows, and filled with all manners of junk food: candy, chips, pastries, soft drinks, and such, enough sugar to fuel a thousand fanbrats.

Unfortunately, the Hive students had spent so long getting junk food that they had neglected the horror film renting, and as a result a lot of the stuff that had been on the list was already out. After much searching and arguing, the group had finally settled on a fair number of films…and now they were arguing on what order to show them in.

"Come on! It's in the title!" Progeny said.

"What taste do you have? You wanted to rent _Barn of the Blood Illma!_"

"That's better then _Troll II!_ There aren't even any trolls in it!"

"We couldn't get _DeadAlive_ because of you either! My choice should go first!"

"Screw you…"

"ENOUGH!" Juryrig yelled. "I am writing all the names on a piece of paper and then picking them out of a hat! You have a problem? Go play with Gizmo!" Juryrig said, as he began writing the names of all the films down. The various Hive members sulked, but accepted it as they began pulling out couches and setting up the various TV's.

Jinx walked in mostly unnoticed and headed for the food, where Floral was pigging out on brownies.

"Hey Jinx! Missed you at dinner!"

"You look like you missed dinner." Jinx replied, looking over the table, which was covered with food and a few cameras: Jinx assumed for snapping pictures of the night. The old kind that used film, she noticed, which wasn't all that strange except that it seemed like everyone was going digital these days.

"I did! Hermes stole my food, left me a hot dog bun! So I fed it to Sash and came here to make up for it." Floral said. The Sash she was referring to was her pet, a plant that looked like a cross between a large red rose and a piranha plant from Super Mario Brothers. Which could talk a bit. It creeped most of the Hive out.

"Move." Came a voice, and then metal tendrils shot around the two women and grabbed a bowl of chips, taking the whole thing as the tentacles slid across Jinx and Floral, making them both shudder before they got angry.

"Hey! You could have asked politely!" Jinx yelled at Flense as he brought the bowl to him.

"Could." Flense replied, and flopped on a nearby couch as he began stuffing handfuls of chips into his gaping maw.

"Be polite Oz. Those people might be in charge of saving your life one day." Juryrig said.

"I doubt that." Flense said, chip crumbs spraying from his mouth. "I have me."

And then apparently deciding that where he was lying wasn't good enough, Flense got up and headed for another couch, which happened to be occupied by Rocko.

"Move over Rocky!"

"That's Rock-o." Rocko replied.

"I don't care if it's Moon Rock, your ass is covering that whole couch and I want a place to sit!" Flense said, as he tried to shove Rocko off the couch.

"You do?" Rocko said.

Her hand was clamped around Flense's head before he knew it, as Rocko lifted him up and dropped him off the edge of the sofa.

"Hope you're comfortable." Rocko said.

* * *

"Hey Wilby! Make your ass useful and help plug this up there!" Gizmo said, holding a large plug towards the teen. 

"All right." Wilby said, as he got up. He concentrated, and then with a growling roar his power activated, as he nearly quadrupled in size and muscle mass as a gray armor costume folded out during the transformation and appeared on his body. He wasn't called Rhinoceros Beetle for nothing: this form possessed the strength of one, letting Wilby lift 850 times his own weight. Which was a lot. The downside was that strongmen usually commanded some kind of endurance or invulnerability to go along with their strength. Wilby had none: his huge muscled form was as vulnerable to pain as his normal body. Which is why he hadn't wanted to pick a fight with Sabotage: Sabotage was a martial arts expert who knew how to hurt people, and liked doing it.

At least it made him tall enough to put the plug in the out of the way setup Gizmo had done (Gizmo was fiddling with something else that he apparently needed to, otherwise he would have just flown up and inserted the plug himself, Wilby assumed). Gizmo yelled in triumph as the last of the computers he had set up came on (Gizmo had spent most of the day setting up the room, which was now filled with computers, TV's and systems to play games).

"All right! The night has started!" Gizmo said, as he hopped into a seat.

"Hey Giz." Flay said as he entered the room. "This place is well insulated right? Because a thunderstorm just broke outside. It's pouring."

"No worries! No water will be dripping on any cables! Come one, come all!"

"Your ass is grass Gizmo!" Buzz Bomb said as he flew over to a chair…that he couldn't sit in due to the mechanical bee abdomen jutting from his back. He settled for standing. Flay headed over and sat down too, and Mammoth, who had come because Shimmer wanted to play games and he wanted to keep an eye on her, took another spot. Besides him, Wilby saw that Shimmer was playing on one of the sole consoles and the mysterious Nightwalker was playing on another. Well maybe Gizmo would bug them if Gizmo wanted to change opponents so he would have different people to beat on. He sighed and resumed his own game.

* * *

Several Hive drones, aka the generic soldiers that guarded the base, nearly fell over as Hermes and Zippy blasted past them, the wind almost knocking them down. Zippy yelled sorry, but they never heard her: she was going too fast. 

They ran past the game and movie rooms, not paying attention to who was inside, as the games room played and the movie room, having finally settled everything, was mostly sitting down as people put movies in (Jinx was still by the table, trying to decide what to eat).

And across the base…Brother Blood had a headache.

First of all, Control Freak either had really bad genes or he was a lot older then he claimed to be. Secondly, he was fat, unpleasant to look at, and unpleasant to smell as well. Thirdly, he loved to hear his own voice. Mostly in regards to how great he and his accomplishments were. When Blood had tried to mind control him to shut him up, he had found Control Freak had woven some kind of blocking spell: technosorcerer indeed. Blood growled within: his cyborgization was supposed to have IMPROVED his mental abilities, not weakened them!

So he'd been forced to listen as he tried to get Control Freak to demonstrate his remote, which Blood was definitely interested in, ff only for a distraction weapon: hard to keep someone from robbing a bank when a car was trying to eat you! And so on.

He'd tried walking with the annoying nerd to try and dull the pain, but eventually he'd ended up in one of the security rooms at the right end of the base and found he had nowhere else to go. Not to mention the room wasn't finished being fully repaired yet and hence had an unpleasant odor.

Enough. He'd cut to the chase.

"And then lemme tell you, I…" Control Freak was saying.

"All right, all right! That is all fine and good Mr., uh, Freak, but if you want to join my school, it can't be based entirely on past accomplishments!" _Especially since a good many of them involved having our rears handed to us by those blasted Titans_. "Why don't you show me just what that remote can do?"

"Sure!" Control Freak said, and snorted in the disgusting liquid way that spoke of lack of tact. Blood felt ill, and wondered how many Tylenol he was going to need to take tonight.

And the race went on…

And the thunderstorm grew in power…

Blood's pain was briefly alleviated by Control Freak showing that indeed, his remote could bring things to life.

Said pain returned when the newly enlivened items, including a chair, attacked Blood, as Control Freak, er, freaked and began rapidly pressing buttons to try and stop them. Blood stopped them first with a few quick energy blasts.

"Uh heh! Sorry! I'm so used to just having this thing set up so I'm protected I forgot they'd decide you were the target…" Control Freak nervously chuckled, as Blood pulled splinters out of his arm and glowered at the unpleasant man. "Don't worry though, it won't happen again!"

"Oh no, it won't…"

* * *

Hermes and Zippy entered the last leg of the race, a long straightaway that ended in the final room, when Hermes decided to cheat. 

"HEY! NOMORESPEED!" Zippy yelled as Hermes suddenly broke away from her: the whole race had pretty much been them neck-and-neck. Well, if that was how he wanted to play, she could play it as well! There wasn't much room, she'd throw her throttle wide open and pass him before he could cross into the threshold she couldn't…

And she did, as electricity crackled on her and grew and grew, as her elemental powers came to the front…

And went farther then she planned, as she passed Hermes…and transformed into a lightning bolt.

That flew past Blood and Control Freak as they jumped in surprise and slammed into the computer mainframe Blood and Control Freak had been in front of.

It reacted about as well as one could expect.

And by that I mean it exploded.

Blood and Control Freak recoiled as the whole mainframe went to pieces, spraying them with debris, as behind them Hermes stopped on a dime and gaped at exactly what Zippy had inadvertently done. What on earth was the master doing in this room?

And…what would he do to Hermes when he found out he was partly responsible?

Hermes ran through his options and decided that Zippy was relatively protected with Scorcher watching over her. Blood couldn't do much to Zippy without risking her wrath, the knowledge he held for her or not. But Hermes had no such protection.

So it would be best if Blood never saw him.

He'd make it up to Zippy later.

And a moment later he was gone, out of sight and out of the Hive makeshift base, running off through the rain (while going so fast he could literally 'run between the raindrops' as the old saying went). He figured he'd head to Gotham: he'd be safer there then in Blood's crosshairs.

"WHAT IS GOING ON!" Blood screamed as the computer console continued exploding, even as a bolt of lightning shot out of a nearby plug in the hallway and reformed into Zippy, her face filled with worry.

"Oops." She said…and then realized she was alone. "Hermes?"

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS SCHOOL! CAN IT NOT STAY TOGETHER ON ME!" Blood bellowed, the wrath that he had been planning to direct at Control Freak now transformed into wrath at pretty much everything.

His reaction mirrored the storm, as Control Freak watched him explode in rage…

"NOTHING GOES RIGHT ANY MORE! THE TITANS WIN! I GO INTO DEBT BEYOND BELIEF TO MAKE A PROPER BASE! I LIVE IN THIS HELLHOLE AND DEAL WITH ALL THIS DISOBEDIANT, PERVERTED BRATS AND I GET ABSOLUTELY NO RESPECT AT ALL! I AM TELLING YOU, I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS! THIS IS MY WORLD! I AM ITS LORD AND MASTER! NOTHING IS SUPERIOR TO ME HERE!"

And the bolt of lightning, this time from the clouds, lanced down from the heavens and struck the clock tower, the electricity coursing through the base…

And erupting from the shattered computer station. And it had one goal.

Control Freak.

The poor bugger never even got a chance to scream, as the electricity struck him and he was frozen to the spot, caught in the grip of unimaginable power as he shuddered and spasmed. Blood, his rant stopped dead, took a step away and watched in amazement as the power surged on him, as smoke began rising from his body, a horrid stench filling the room, as his remote sparked and the energy crackling on him suddenly turned red…

Control Freak burst into flame.

And the energy, now a furious crimson, flew back from the burning, disintegrating Control Freak and at Blood, who yelled in surprise and held out a hand to form a shield.

He got one up at the last second, as the energy pressed against him and then diverted away, one stream flowing back into the wrecked computer apparatus…and the other arcing up towards the ceiling, slamming into it and carving a path of destruction across and through it…

Zippy screamed as sparks erupted from the whole room, recoiling away…

And then a groaning, cracking noise filled Blood's ears, and he looked up as he dispersed the shield.

As the ceiling, already in bad shape, not repaired, and holding up a lot of school, broke apart.

"Oh no." Blood said.

And then the rubble was crashing down, burying him below unbelievable weight.

* * *

And in his chair, Gizmo leapt up. 

"YOU IDIOT BARAN! YOU KICKED THE MASTER OFF SWITCH!"

"Hey, I didn't know it was there!" Mammoth yelled back, all the computers screens having gone black because Mammoth had inadvertently turned off Gizmo's whole setup.

"That's no excuse you crud…"

The power exploded through the room, and while the computers were turned off they were still plugged in, resulting in all of them exploding at once. Everyone at the computers was too busy being thrown back from the sudden happening to see the beams of red power lance out and strike the game consoles that the others had been playing at, and even as they recoiled as well the systems and TVs exploded in turn.

"What the heck is that racket…" Scorcher said, as she turned her head…

And then the whole entertainment room went crazy as well, as the TV screens went to static and then suddenly exploded, red power arcing and dancing between the machines and shooting across the room. Jinx screamed and fell back as the refreshment table exploded from one stray bolt.

The power danced around the room a few seconds more, then concentrated and exploded again, blowing everyone over.

And then all the lights went out.

The whole Hive was plunged into darkness.

And in the darkness, a voice spoke.

"Ohhhhhhh…NOW WHAT?"

_To Be Continued_


	2. Locked

Part 2: Locked

Writer's Note: Since, to new readers, I did potentially introduce a lot of new characters in the last chapter, I have decided to make a list at the beginning of this one. If you forget who someone is, what their powers are, their real names, or general information on new characters, refer to this.

Canon Hive Members: (Created by DC or by the actual Teen Titans show)

The Troika (my name for the three): Gizmo-Mikron O' Jeanus. Mechanical and electronics genius, many high tech weapons. Jinx-Llarenes Morath (her real name is not canon DC but created by me, but since her show character is so different from her comics character, I feel that's ok). Agile sorceress who fires hex blasts that usually cause destruction in one way or another. Mammoth-Baran Flinders. Superstrength and decent invulnerability.

Shimmer-Selinda Flinders, Mammoth's younger sister. A matter transmuter, she can turn elements and compounds into others, though this change only lasts for three minutes and she can only effect things three feet to her or closer. Joined the Hive only after bothering Mammoth greatly about it: he is very protective of her. Still rather shy and withdrawn, though has some spark in her.

Billy Numerous-Real name unknown, assumingly Billy Something. Can makes hundreds of clones from himself or other clones, some assumed combat skills, possible higher strength then normal human. Hillbilly in speaking manner, has a bit of an ego and can be very annoying.

Seemore- Real name unknown (Seymore, perhaps?). Wears special 'Optimax' helmet weapon system that provides him with various attacks and defenses based on orbs in the shape of eyes. Friendly if a bit lecherous.

Private Hive-Real name unknown (dubbed Leonard by me, if anyone gets the reference I will be amazed). No apparently superpowers, though is trained in combat with a special shield weapon ala Captain America. Speaks and acts like a drill sergeant, assumed he sucks up to Brother Blood (his name IS Private Hive, after all).

The Elementals-Created by the Author Jedi-And, co-writer of this story.

Scorcher-Danielle Foster. Leader of the elementals. Pyrokinetic (can summon and control fire) of a very high degree. Southern girl with a polite manner, though she doesn't take any crap.

Floral-Rose Trent. Can control and command any plants except trees. Tends to be inward and shy, but is also by nature happy and occasionally perky. Scorcher has a maternal relationship with her.

Zippy- Sally 'Sal Marks' Markson. Uses electricity to increase speed, gains electrical properties at higher speeds and actually can become a bolt of lightning at max speed. Hyperactive teenager who doesn't breathe between words or even sentences.

Platinum Blonde- Antoinette Albertine. Composed of organic metal ala Colossus of the X-Men, which allows her super strength and decent invulnerability. Very arrogant and vain due to her great beauty, likes to manipulate men.

Rocko-Lorant Smith. Was once a geokinetic male teenager (hence the name) until an accident destroyed his original body and transferred him into a form made of rock that was inexplicably female. Can control all manners of rocks and has very fine control of his/her (s/he goes by her, as strange as it is) body. Depressed and doesn't speak much, but also hard as nails and doesn't take any crap.

Original Hive Members

Juryrig-Julian Rencercer. Commands a unique telekinesis that allows him to assemble whatever inorganic objects that are lying around (thought they must be relatively free and not say, nailed down) to form shapes that he commands. Natural leader like Scorcher, though a bit too much of a showman and proud of his juryriggings at times.

Rhinoceros Beetle- Wilby Tierney. Commands incredible super strength (he can lift at least 125 tons), but does not have any endurance talents whatsoever. Due to this, he is easy to push around, nervous and insecure by nature, easily spooked, and suffers from asthma under stress.

Flay-Simon Tepes. Whip EXPERT who also has a variety of powerful whip enhancements. The several 'noble' qualities that one would not expect a villain to demonstrate usually come from the fact he is rather naïve.

Progeny-Arturo Nicanor. 'Psychic surgery', can break his body apart and float/move said parts and use them as weapons or defenses. A very handsome and charming bastard otherwise who enjoys seducing and bedding women.

Hermes- Ezhno Aeneas (it's Greek). Speed Force user, maximum speed 1000 miles a second. Unfocussed and prankish (usually), tends to cop feels.

Sabotage- Cord Rayfory. Manipulates probability factors to screw people up in a variety of ways, martial arts expert. A bully and an asshole, and proud of it.

Buzz Bomb- Never revealed real name. Armor that allows flight and increased speed, lasers in gauntlets, expert in explosives. Is either arrogant as hell or needy and clingy, unless he ingests too much caffeine; then he comes paranoid and somewhat wacko.

Flense- 'Oz'. Wears a battle suit that projects metal tentacles that hide a large variety of blade weapons including knives, spears, buzzsaws, and razors. Selfish and unrefined, only concerned with getting ahead, thinks he is blameless about everything he has done.

Nightwalker- Real name unknown. Apparently trained in some kind of gymnastics, quick and agile. Wears 'orb launchers' on both arms that fire small marble like spheres of several different types. Withdrawn and mysterious.

Looker-Melanie Something. She can change her appearance and general shape. I only mention her here for completion; she won't be here very long.

Now that that is done, time to begin…

* * *

_Oh god not again how not again not again not AGAIN…_

Or so were the frantic, rambling thoughts of a certain young man, before the lights came back on and he was forced to slip the mask back on.

* * *

"Is everyone all right?" Scorcher asked, summoning a flame to her hand a few seconds before the lights went on, giving her a brief glimpse of the room before it was fully revealed. 

And what a mess it was. Whatever the weird energy pulse had been, it had carved a mark on everything. The TV's were all blown, save one (Scorcher found this odd but dismissed it at the moment) and all the other electronics were similarly melted. The junk food table was in ruins, and seemingly every piece of furniture that hadn't been knocked over by the incident had been knocked over by flying or recoiling Hive members. The decorations were scattered willy-nilly, a few of them on fire.

And as for whatever had caused the incident, there was no trace.

That didn't sit well with Scorcher, as she put out the fires she could see as she walked towards the group as they recovered.

"Everyone all right?" Juryrig was asking. "Are there…"

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Sabotage was yelling as he shoved a couch off himself. "WHAT IN TITTYFUCKING HELL IS GOING ON!"

"Cord, calm down, and language!" Scorcher snapped.

"Hey fuck you bitch!"

"Don't…"

"I agree! What the fuck!" Flense piped up. "What the fuck just happened what the fuck is wrong with this place what in the fucking fuck happened in the…"

The fireball exploded by his feet.

"Anyone else think the solution to this problem is to turn the air blue?" Scorcher said, fire dancing on her hand. "No? Ok then, cool off, let's take a head count…"

* * *

"Arrgrhhhhh!" Gizmo was yelling at the lights came back on: he'd pulled a flashlight from somewhere and like Scorcher had gotten a tentative look around before the lights reactivated. Much like the TV room, Gizmo's game and computer setup was complete and utter toast. 

"Selinda?" Mammoth said as he emerged from around the computer monitors, as Shimmer sat up from where her chair had been knocked over and looked around in a daze. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine brother…what happened?"

"I'll tell you what's going to cruddin' happen, freakin' heads are gonna roll! This took me a week to mentally envision! And now it's all ruined! Someone is gonna pay, big time!"

"Hold on Gizmo." Flay said, as he finished brushing himself off from where he was standing. "Maybe we should decide what's happening first."

"Isn't it obvious! Someone was inspired by the season and pranked us!"

"Prank?"

"Of course barfhead! If this was some kind of actual emergency, the alarms would have gone…"

The ringing klaxon cut Gizmo off, and his eyes widened.

"Aw crud."

* * *

"Warning. Warning. Security breach. Security breach." A computer voice intoned all over the makeshift Hive base. "Security has been compromised by unknown source. Red alert. Lockdown engaging." 

In the hallway she was standing in, Melanie Brubaker, aka Looker, looked around with wide eyes as she tried to figure out what was going on. What had just happened? She'd been walking along and then the lights had gone out and then back on (though they seemed rather dim) and now the Hive base was announcing a security breach and…

Lockdown. The word slammed into her mind. No. That couldn't happen. She had plans, and if she were stuck in the Hive those plans would be ruined.

She'd had to travel a long long way to get to the Hive, so she could be trained, but she'd promised her little brother she'd take him trick or treating that night. To make up for the long distance travel and the fact she couldn't afford a plane, she'd made a deal with another Hive student, a long range teleporter named Shiftstate. She was, had been on her way, to meet him when this alarm happened, and for a fee (albeit cheaper then flying, and quicker), he'd warp her home (where due to the time zones it would be two hours earlier and just in time to start going from house to house) and then back.

But Shiftstate was notoriously impatient, and if she didn't show up at the assigned meeting place on the dot, he'd wait at most two minutes and then go to find his own fun.

And she damn sure wouldn't be able to make it if there was a lockdown.

The good news was, she was actually near an exit to the Hive.

The bad news was, the lockdown started immediately, as doors began to slam down.

Melanie gasped, and then as her training kicked in, she noticed that they were closing away from her, rather then towards her. Which meant…

Melanie ran for it, ducking to clear the first door. Her sprint allowed her to clear the second door just before it started coming down, but the third door was quicker and Melanie was forced to duck again. Running while hunched over tended to slow you down, so Melanie just ran full tilt at the forth, closing faster then before door and tried to duck under it at the last minute.

She made it, barely, but the barely cost her, as the edge of the forth, descending door clipped her lower back, which not only sent a shock of pain up her spine but turned her run into a sprawling forward stumble, which didn't have the speed to make it to the fifth door as it started to close and she wasn't going to make it…

Unless she tried.

And she did, as she shifted the momentum at the last second and turned her forward stumble into a leaping lunge, landing on the ground in the way she'd been taught so she slid on the floor.

She stopped halfway under the door, as it came down…

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

THUD.

Melanie gasped where she sat, having barely managed to swing her hips around and out of the way of the descending barrier before she'd been cut in half. But she had no time to rest: one last door remained to take her to the actual outside, and it would lock any second…

Three seconds after she made it through, precisely.

Melanie's elation of having beat the lockdown was dampened a bit by the fact it was pouring outside. Lacking any kind of protection, and quite tired from her little Indiana Jones performance, Melanie was forced to walk through the rain, getting soaked to the skin. Well, she could dry off in her car, which she had parked behind some trees in what had once been the school's playground.

She unlocked her car with the electronic doohickey that did that, opened the door, slid in, and closed it. Inserting her key, she sighed as heat began to warm her. Hopefully it'd be enough to dry her off before Shiftstate took her across the country.

A strange movement behind her.

Melanie arched an eyebrow, and then reached up and adjusted her mirror to look behind her.

…Nothing.

Melanie turned around and examined the back seat. Nothing lurked there.

She shrugged. Must have been a trick of the shadows.

Melanie inserted her key, started her car, and drove off.

Her night was undoubtedly the most peaceful of all the Hive.

* * *

While some might not have wanted to hang around to see exactly what the situation that had required the alarm and lockdown was, there were plenty who thought that to do so was their first and foremost duty. 

True, virtually all of them had had their brains played with by Brother Blood, but at this time that's just splitting hairs.

You need a fair staff to run a school. When that school doubles as a mercenary and soldier of fortune training center, the staff grows exponentially to handle all the new responsibilities. And while Blood hadn't been able to quarter all of the Hive drones that normally served him at the makeshift base, he'd gotten a fair amount. Most of the teachers, cooks, cleaners, and whatnot also doubled as soldiers, and since Blood had given them the night off, most of them had been relaxing in their own way.

But now the alarm was going, and the aforementioned brainfuckery kicked in, as the men and (few) women sprang up and ran to lockers, opening them as they snapped on bee themed armor and armed various guns and other weapons. Awaiting an order from Blood, and getting none, they went to their first rule in case of an emergency: find it. And since there was no set place for said emergency, the Hive drones and troops began spreading through the base.

Terrible, terrible mistake.

Their names were not important. Only their discoveries.

Like the one at the tail end of his group who suddenly sensed a presence behind him, a terrible, powerful presence, but never got to discern just what it was, as he turned as the blade was swinging.

The thock of it sinking into muscle and tissue echoed surprisingly loud.

Or the three who had seen a glimpse of movement around a corner, and hurried after it…only to find it was a movement it would have been better ignored, as it zipped in…

Or the group scanning the wing of the Hive's chambers, guns at the ready.

Didn't do them any good at all.

As one screamed, a blade bursting from his chest, stabbed in from behind him, and as the others whirled, as the stabbed one screamed, some of them couldn't help but notice the strange bladed weapon. It wasn't a knife or a sword…it was a pair of cutting shears.

And sadly for them, they turned out to be far more of a match for a gun then any of the drones would have ever given credit.

* * *

"Hello? Is anyone there? Hello! Hello!" Scorcher yelled into her communicator. Nothing but static. "Sugar! The whole network is down!" 

Juryrig entered the room, having left it briefly.

"The game room's occupants are ok…those who are there. Mammoth and Shimmer just went to follow the men who ran past the room earlier, back them up, they couldn't say why they felt this was necessary. However, there are a couple of us unaccounted for."

"Who?"

"Seemore's not in either room, neither's Looker, I think she said she was doing something else for the evening away from the Hive, so she might have left. Zippy is also AWOL."

A pang of worry filled Scorcher, even as she tried to sooth Floral, who had run over and clamped onto her side almost as soon as she'd called for a head count. But she couldn't let it control her. Besides, Zippy was far from a stranger to danger.

"Ok, listen up everyone! Has anyone been able to raise a signal on their communicators?"

There was a chorus of no's.

"Forget it flaming queen." Gizmo said as he walked into the 'TV room', the people who had been with him during the strange incident following, Rhinoceros Beetle now in his giant form which he was named for as he squeezed through the door. "If I couldn't raise a signal, the odds of any of you snotheads doing it are…HAHAHAHAHA!" Gizmo laughed as he saw Jinx, who was standing off by herself…and due to the explosion of the junk food table was completely covered in cake, chocolate, soda pop, and god knew what else. Jinx had looked increasingly uncomfortable about the situation, but when Gizmo saw her and started laughing it was clearly the last straw.

"That's it! I don't care what's going on, I am taking a shower, NOW!" Jinx yelled, and started walking out.

"Hold it thar Llarenes. That may not be such a good idea." Scorcher said.

"I don't care! I am not staying like this any longer then I have to! And I've been a member of this place longer then you Danielle, so I think I know how to handle myself!"

"You want an escort or two?" Scorcher asked as Jinx headed for the door.

"And give one of these horny buggers a chance at a free show? Forget it!" Jinx said as she walked out. Unnoticed by most, Progeny jokingly snapped his fingers, as if in disappointment.

* * *

Inside someone's head, perfectly masked but still there, a brain was in a tizzy. It was happening all over again. He'd seen the movies, melted to sludge from where they'd been left on two different VCR's/DVD players. He watched Jinx walk out, not caring about the possible dangers, just wanting a shower to clean off… 

To get naked and vulnerable at the most inopportune time…

His mind spun. What did he do? If the place was locked down, he probably couldn't leave even if he wanted to. And if he was stuck in here…he was stuck in here with THEM.

With a group that didn't have a clue what they were up against.

And a group he couldn't tell, or he'd blow his cover. And if that happened, he might not survive it. The Hive hadn't been happy with Cyborg's infiltration: only bad circumstance had prevented them from trying any retribution. But him in the middle of the group in a locked in building?

He'd have to keep the charade going.

And hope it let him survive.

Hell, he mused, he might be the only one who did.

Or maybe by the laws of sequels he'd be the first to die. If you survive a horror film, never sign on for a sequel. There was only one Sidney Prescott, after all.

And the laws of horror films, once again, were projecting themselves over the reality he knew.

The line from the classic _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ occurred to him…

_Who will survive, and what will be left of them?

* * *

_

"Ok people, here's the thing." Scorcher said to the grouped Hive. "We can't raise Blood. But you know him: if we try and act on our own he'll pop up and raise hell. So I'm going to go look for him. Everyone else, stay here. Juryrig, you're in charge. All of you obey him like you would me. Anyone dissents, they'll answer to me. That means YOU Cord."

"Oh fuck off!"

"Maybe later." Scorcher said, as she knelt down to look at a still anxious Floral. "Rose, I have to go. I'll move faster on my own. You'll be safe here. Lorant and Antoinette will keep an eye on you, and I'll make sure Julian does as well. Ok?"

"…Ok." Floral replied, though it was clear she didn't believe a word Scorcher was saying.

"Ok guys, as I said, stay here, don't wander off."

"What about Jinx?" Billy Numerous asked.

"She's on her own, we don't need the group splitting up farther to hunt for her. Stay here." Scorcher said, as she left, heading right down the two-way hallway.

"Well uh…huh." Juryrig said, not sure what to tell the massed Hive students to do. It was a good thing the entertainment center had been converted out of the school's old gym, the room was helpful for holding all the students with lots of space to spare. "Ok, I know it's not fun, but let's clean the room up a bit."

Groans, but about two-thirds of the Hive students started doing just that, to pass the time, though Sabotage continued to defiantly do nothing. Juryrig was worried: Cord was an asshole and a self-absorbed one at that, and he might think there was no better time to grab the reigns of leadership while they were at a loss, just to prove he was better then everyone else. Of course leadership for purely selfish reasons never went anywhere good…Juryrig didn't want to have to start considering who'd side with him and who against him if it came to it.

"Julian…" Floral was suddenly asking. "What happened?"

"…Don't know Rose. Could be a glitch. If we were being attacked, I'm pretty sure there'd have been some kind of racket by now…"

"AAIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The scream was so loud it hadn't lost much power when it hit the room, making everyone start and Floral look like she was about to be ill.

"…That sounded like Selinda." Flay said.

Within moments, virtually the whole Hive was out of the room and running down the hallway the scream had come from, which happened to be the opposite way Scorcher had gone, as they ran past Gizmo's game room and continued on.

And hence none of them saw the lone remaining TV, the only one to survive the destruction, turn itself on.

Though all it showed was static…

* * *

Two bits of good news. 

One was Shimmer was still alive.

The second was that she had been with her brother when she had seen what she had seen.

Because now she was crushed up against him, her head buried in one of his large pectoral muscles, as he gently kept one arm around her and stroked her head with the other, even as he kept wary eyes searching around for whatever had done what she had seen.

And unable to stop from occasionally looking at the scene in the hallway.

Flay was the first to get there (usually fliers would be but the hallway was too cramped for them), and at first his eyes were drawn to Mammoth and Shimmer.

"She all right?" Flay said, as he ran up to them.

"Yeah." Mammoth said, in the tone of people who know no physical harm has happened but the situation was already a long away from all right and growing more distant by the second.

Flay was about to ask what had happened, when he took a general step to the side and stepped into it.

He looked down.

He had stepped into a slowly growing red pool.

Blood.

And then the lights, having flickered and dimmed, and hence caused the shadows to hide the sight from Flay's peripheral vision, seemed to fix themselves briefly, displaying the scene.

"…Oh…dear…Christ…" Flay said, putting his hand to his mouth.

"Hey snothead whatdaya looking ATTHHHHHHHHHHH!" Gizmo screamed as he flew up to Flay's side and saw what he was seeing as well.

Those who could actually fit into the corner Mammoth was still standing in all had similar reaction.

There were five of them…maybe. It was rather hard to tell. Once they had been Hive guards, drones.

Now they were meat. They had been butchered so savagely it appeared that not a single one of them was in one piece. Their guns and weapons lay among their bodies, having seemingly proven useless of whatever had caught them. The air stank, horrific organic smells that escaped the body if it was severely damaged, the smell of war and psychosis, the smell of death.

Blood splattered on the walls and pooled on the floor. Organs spilled from opened bodies, some seemingly ground underfoot. The helmets the Hive droves wore mostly hid their expressions, but one drone has lost his, and his visage was stamped in a look of shocking terror that Flay could have done without seeing.

"…Oh god…oh god…" Juryrig said as he looked at the scene, even as someone was sick in the distance (sounded like Platinum Blonde).

"Somehow I doubt this is his handiwork." Mammoth said in a quiet gruff tone. Juryrig was amazed at how well Mammoth was handling this, especially considering he'd been the first to see it. Then again, he was probably being strong for his sister. Mammoth would do anything for Shimmer, including hold a stone face in the wake of atrocity.

"Not right man…not right in any way…" Billy was saying, when Gizmo zipped past Juryrig, flying over the bodies. Now that the initial shock had worn off, Gizmo had put himself in a pure analytical mindset, locking the human feelings of horror and disgust in a box so he could properly examine the scene. Chances were a good dissection (ugh, bad choice of words) of what lay before him would help.

"…Whatever did this was one big ass weapon." Gizmo said, scanning the bodies through programs in his goggles. "…Wounds aren't clean either. This weapon had to be PUSHED in order to fully cut…must have felt pretty unpleasant…there are a couple of smaller wounds which indicate that maybe another weapon was used to disarm or disable before the main weapon was brought into play…I'll check down at the other end."

"Be careful Giz." Mammoth said.

"Got my motion detector on M. I don't see it coming, I deserve to get it." Gizmo replied as he flew past the bodies and into the shadowy corridors (and another thing, Juryrig noted, what the hell was wrong with the lighting?)

"Julian, sir." Private Hive said as he pushed his way through the group. "The troops are getting restless. A word or two may be needed."

"…Right. Ok people, keep calm. This is obviously…" Juryrig began.

And then it hit him. He was going to say what they had seen obviously called for a modification of Scorcher's order…except then he recalled another thing Scorcher had asked him to do: look after Floral.

And she was nowhere to be seen.

"…Rose?" He said. " Hey Rose, are you there? You hiding behind someone? Everyone, where's Rose?"

And as the Hive students quickly realized, Floral wasn't there. A sweat broke on Juryrig's face. Floral was very important to Scorcher. If she ran into…

Then again, she had powers. Surely that would help.

Right?

Indeed, as he asked, none of the Hive students could remember exactly the last time they saw her. She'd slipped away when they'd had their attention diverted by the scene of hallway carnage.

Juryrig was trying to decide what to do when he realized Gizmo was floating next to him again. A glance showed that the midget mechanic had gone pale as a sheet.

"…Julian…you may want to see this." Gizmo said.

Juryrig blinked.

"More bodies?"

"No."

"Can't you tell me then?"

"You better look for yourself."

So Juryrig followed. However, since Gizmo hadn't exactly whispered, a good amount of the Hive had overheard him, and several people followed Juryrig, including Private Hive, Sabotage, and the two Hive newcomers Flense and Nightwalker among one or two others.

And they all immediately saw why Gizmo hadn't used words.

Because words would be damn hard to describe what the hallway down from the bodies turned into, changing from dull steel walls and floor and ceiling into something else entirely.

The ground was a mass of broken, bloodstained tiles and metal sheet work, the steel and plastic sliding and morphing into the other with no care of synchronization of where they lay. But the blood on the tiles wasn't pooling, like the earlier scene: it was dried blood. Old blood. Old blood that was a dark and noxious color, a shade that made people wonder if they were perceiving it right, because it didn't seem like blood could look like that.

Then there were the walls.

Oh god why did they look at the walls.

The only thing that was the same about the old corridors, usually the aforementioned full metal or rotten plaster shored up by the Hive's usual black and yellow style, was that they were still going straight up.

Because they had been replaced with cracked stone pillars, blood slowly dripping from them.

And the blood wasn't coming from bodies.

It was coming from the walls themselves.

The walls were bleeding.

At least, that was the part of the walls that were stonework.

The rest of the walls had become grating and locked doors that in the very dimly lit corridor seemed to stretch on for miles. Rooms that used to house nothing more then cleaning supplies or parts for the still being built base now seemed to harbor new things.

Things that Juryrig could almost swear he heard screaming, noises of a thousand inconceivable indiscretions, each door, each panel now looking like it should belong in some twisted mental asylum Arkham could only wish it could be.

The faint noises that came from the doors, the supposed screams…but when Sabotage stepped forward to have a look, nothing seemed to stir inside.

Or nothing dared to.

Part of the wall had a TV in it, Juryrig could see that now. All it showed was static, though Juryrig thought maybe there was a word or two imbedded in the noise (James? Did it say James?).

That was one side of the room. The other side wasn't any better.

Mannequins stood, or rather hanged there by their necks, as if they were on display to the public, swinging ever so slightly in the slight breeze that was in the hallway…a breeze that caught their blood as they fell.

They bled too, like the walls. You could swear they were actual corpses until you saw the plastic lines on their limbs. Even then Juryrig didn't think they seemed like dolls…they were too…realistically arranged…even with their faces obscured with bags, as blood continued to flow from their necks, soaking the ground and pouring through grates.

The ceiling had what might have been hooks hanging from it. Except they didn't look like hooks you could hang something on.

Not unless you shoved it…really hard…

All in all, it looked like someone had given the Cenobites carte blache on how to decorate the corridor.

Jury could fell his own skin turning pale, as he remembered Mammoth's words.

God's hand certainly wasn't here.

But his opposite seemed to have found a place to expand, directly into their home.

* * *

"Ok." Juryrig said to the very antsy group a few seconds later back in the TV room. "Here's what's going to happen. We're going to look…" 

"LOOK? FUCKING LOOK?" Sabotage yelled. "Hell no Julian. What we're going to do is find the nearest exit and get the hell out of this shithole."

"The base is SEALED Cord."

"Then we find a flaw in the seal and smash it. I'm not hanging around. If there's something vicious enough to cause that slaughter and quiet enough to do it without getting our attention, not to mention that…CORRIDOR…I sure as hell am not hanging around in THIS place to fight it. I'm leaving. I suggest anyone who has a brain do likewise." Sabotage yelled.

"He's right. Fuck this place." Flense said, as he snapped his metallic coils out.

"Wait no people, we can't split up, we have to…!" Juryrig yelled, but others were already agreeing with Sabotage.

"Sorry Julian. If I was alone I'd stay. But you know why I can't." Mammoth said, as he walked past her, Shimmer firmly by his side.

"I know what lurks in the dark. This is too much for me." Nightwalker also said, as he pulled clips of ammo out of his belt and slammed them into his orb gauntlets, readying himself for whatever might have come next.

"Sir, I'd follow you to hell sir, but that's worse." Private Hive said.

Everyone had an excuse, and before Juryrig knew it nearly everyone was leaving the room.

Even, to his surprise, Rocko.

"Lorant?" Juryrig said in confusion. Rocko's blank face betrayed nothing.

"They're going my way Julian." Rocko said, as he joined the group. Juryrig stared…and then he got it.

Rocko was going with the group to search for Floral. They just happened to be going in the direction s/he had picked.

Which meant she was asking Juryrig to go in the other direction. Past the bodies, through the hell corridor, and whatever lay beyond. While Floral hadn't gone that way (he'd have seen her), the design of the school meant she could take another route and end up there.

And besides, Scorcher had asked him. It wasn't like he could refuse.

In the end, Juryrig was left with just Platinum Blonde and Rhinoceros Beetle, who both wanted to look for Floral. Well, he supposed, if he was just going to have two allies he could do worse.

"All right. We're going the other way. Past the bodies and…well I don't know what's past there. But I suggest that we make a pit stop at the nearest storage room. I need to make an army of one." Juryrig said, as he headed out of the room, his lone companions following.

As for the TV…it had gone unnoticed. There were more important things to do and look for.

Pity…for them.

* * *

It shouldn't have been. 

Floral, somewhere in the back of her mind, was scared. Whatever was happening wasn't supposed to BE happening, and she knew it.

It couldn't be real, it shouldn't be happening…

Yet it was real… It was happening.

Had Floral known of the events that had plagued the Titans a year ago, she probably would have used the same term they had: slippage. The world as they knew it was slipping away…

Though not far away enough where certain horrors of life still existed.

Like death.

She had fled when she had seen the bodies…only to find as she ran that this was not an isolated incident. The corridors seemed to be filled with corpses, or what she could see of the corridors at any rate, as the lights had failed, and the emergency generators seemed to be working at less than optimal efficiency, if all the flickering and shadows were any indication. It was eerie to say the least, and it filled the young plant controller with a sense of dread she couldn't quite put her finger on. The best metaphor she could muster was that she had been placed on to the road to hell, though she didn't see any good intentions there, only the bodies of soldiers who tried to do their job because it was what they were trained and paid to do.

Hadn't saved them…

But this didn't have anything to do with them anymore. They were dead, and she couldn't change that. This was about her. She was lost, alone and afraid. Scorcher had gone to find Blood and told everyone else to stay put, telling her fellow Elementals and Juryrig to look after her, but when they'd all heard the noise and gone running to investigate, and seen what had horrified Shimmer so…well, the choice to flee wasn't a hard one to make.

She wanted her mum, and ever since she had been small the only person who had acted like her mother was Danielle. The only one who had cared enough about her to risk everything they had, to risk their own life for her, was Scorcher. When she called her 'Mum' by accident at her old home in Beach Shine City in California because something had scared her or she had had a bad dream, the one person to answer was Scorcher saying "Momma's here."

Well, there was no doubt this was a bad dream, worse still because it was real, and she wanted Momma, so she went to go find her.

And so she clambered forward, in the dark, heading slowly towards…well, anywhere but here. She wanted out; out of this place, out of the scary things, maybe even out of the Hive entirely, even with the fact Scorcher needed Blood's information, the knowledge that was the only reason she stayed and aided him. Well, at least they could leave the Hive this evening. Maybe Scorcher would take her and the other Elementals to a café.

A quiet night with her 'mother'…

Then a shock filled her system, as she realized once again that while she called Scorcher Mum, she herself was a mother, so to speak. She realised that Sash, her dear little plant, had been left on its own in her room. Her room, when the average person was looking at it, was just one huge mass of vines and plant life. Everything, with the exception of her metal desk and chair (with foam cushions) was plant. They had a special frame set up that the wall climbers clambered over and pipes lined the top of the room to provide artificial rain. Though on such a wet night, the plants would be outside enjoying the air and the water (Floral's manipulations had produced fauna considerably more aware of itself then the average plant). But while the other plants would have crept out of the room, Sash was a young plant, and unfortunately still in her pot and hence, stationary. If she were going to leave the HIVE tonight with the others, she would have to take Sash with her.

And so young Floral decided to go and rectify that problem and rushed off in another direction, tripping a few times to grab her prized possession…well not even that. Her surrogate child.  
She didn't like what she found when she got to the dormitory wing however.

Outside her room were more bodies, four in all. They had been slashed to ribbons, as if the hard plastic compound armor they wore had proven to be no more effective then paper. Nausea swirled in Floral's guts as she realized that if the ravaged bodies were all around her door, she'd have to walk through the mess.

But what was on the other side was worth more then her fear, so she swallowed and did so, holding her nose and ignoring the squelching sounds. She hoped that whatever had killed the poor bastards had moved on.

Opening the door to her room, she had found it to be as expected, aka devoid of plants. The walls were barren and cold. It gave off a lifeless chill as all the room's previous humidity left with the plants. This only left, as mentioned, a system of pipes with a ceiling made of glass below shutters that a ladder in a different room led up to so that they could be closed if needed for some reason. Unshuttered and in the sun, the glass ceiling gave a wonderful glow, but on a stormy night it didn't offer much in the way of warmth.

She traced her eyes along the room to see if all the plants had left, and indeed they had. Her eyes continued downward towards her desk where she hoped to see her pride and joy.

Floral's eyes widened. Sash was indeed there, the young rose cross sitting on the table.

As mulch.

The plant girl rushed forward in pure desperation. She couldn't believe it. What had happened? What on her green earth had happened? Someone… Someone had killed Sash. Someone had killed the creature she had been trying to raise for years. Someone had taken a blade or a pair of scissors to her young creation, cutting it apart like it was the most common of weeds.

Tears streamed down her face as she picked up what was left of Sash in her hands, her knees giving way slightly under the burden. She couldn't stand it. Sash had been more than a pet, she couldn't explain it but she had just been… more.

And whoever did it, she was going to kill them.

At least that was her train of thought until the ceiling shattered.

A man-shaped form burst through the glass rooftop, sending shards of glass everywhere and startling the poor girl into an upright position.

The righteous rage fired higher. Floral didn't need any information to know who this was. The killer of Sash, the man who had murdered her…daughter, and he was going to pay…

Then she saw him.

The rage died abruptly, replaced by sheer horror.

It was not a simple killer.

It was barely a man at all.

With a face that would be burned in to her memory, as it was literally burned into his. A face that was no longer even remotely human, its flesh burned to the point where it looked half melted, pinkish scar tissue distorting the mouth and nose and half covering the blankly white right eye, the right ear melted into a patchwork of burns that crossed all around the completely bald head. It looked less like a face then like the after product of a child's plaything that had been melted for their own amusement. Ironically enough, this wasn't too far from the truth.

The 'man' straightened, his burned and melted flesh being made even more horrendous by the rain that now poured in through the glass opening, the water and the shadows making it look like his face was continuing to dissolve. His black, patchwork clothing soaked up more of the weather as he raised a pair of seemingly innocent pair garden shears. It was generally thought that a weapon is something one buys from a gunsmith, or a sword foundry, but this isn't so. If we can imagine a way to use an item, then it can become a weapon. With this in mind, and as such the idea that anything can be a weapon, a pair of garden shears in the wrong hands became as much a tool for destruction as say, the guns of well armed guards.

And somehow…Floral knew who he was.

His name was Cropsy, and he had been a horror villain in a film called _The Burning_. Not exactly up there with Freddy Kruger, or even Chucky, but he was still somewhat known by the people who watched those kind of films. He had been a gardener who was burned half to death by a group of kids at a summer camp as part of a prank, so he did the logical thing and got revenge several years later by trying to slaughter them all.

Floral knew who he was, as she had apparently seen a snippet or two of the film in a situation now long forgotten and had a nightmare about him coming after her some years ago.

And now the nightmare was coming true and no one was there to hold her hand or to take her up to say 'It was just a dream'.

Though a tiny part of her logical brain was piping up, saying this made no sense. Cropsy, as scary as he was, was fiction. He had been played by an actor (guy by the name of Lou David, though Floral didn't know that). His hideous burns had been makeup, the deaths he had dealt out had been special effects, the victims getting up when the cameras had turned off and going on with their lives. He was, for lack of a better term, fake.

And yet here he was, before her. Real.

How?

The insanity of such a thing was made, but the care of it was beyond Floral now, as well was fear. The righteous rage was back, one usually reserved for tree hugging hippies. She may have been the quiet sort, but she was smarter than she let on, and she didn't need to be a genius to know that while shears could be an effective killing tool, their original design was to cut plants, and hence she had found Sash's murderer.

She called the plants to her, so she could rip this bastard apart to show him what happens when you DARE try and mess with Mother Nature…

And came to the sudden horrific realization that the room was empty. Her allies were not at her immediate beck and call, and since her plants always took longer to get into the base than they were to get out of it…

With this realization came another: she had to run…

One that came too late, as the monster in front of her proved to be far faster then she could have anticipated.

And so did the way everything went black.

In the movies, when a person's throat is cut, the victim usually went about choking or rolling around on the floor, but this is only true if you cut the jugular vein leading away from the brain. This is the vein that carries the blood down from the head, and a cut to it can lead the victim to die of blood loss.

But cut the artery that leads TO the brain, and the pressure drops immediately and you can die almost instantly, nearly painlessly.

And Cropsy had obviously killed enough people to know the instantly part, as he dashed forward and clamped the shears down on Floral's throat.

And so poor Floral was the first of our victims. The young, shy Rose Trent, plant girl extraordinaire, hit the floor, her blood, which actually was a green colour, pouring all over her outfit, though because that was a dark green it didn't really show up too well in the dim light.

Crospy stood there for a moment or two, perhaps a bit off put by the strangeness of his victim. However, that strangeness only seemed to fuel his psychotic rage, as he reached down with his shears and started to defile the corpse, cutting it, destroying it. Still warm blood spewed on his legs, as he continued cutting away at it like it was foliage needed to be trimmed, trying to do to Rose what he had done to Sash.

"Rose! Rose are you there?" A southern voice came from behind the closed door and caused Cropsy to turn in surprise.

"Sweetie? I thought I heard a crash in this direction. Is that you? Are you in your room?" Scorcher said outside the door. "Rose, something's really wrong here. We need to get out if you're in there. Are you there hun...?" Scorcher said as she opened the door and stepped in…

And stopped as dead as the corpses around the door she had opened, wide eyed in horror.  
Cropsy just stared at her, transfixed by the fire on her head, almost scared of the flames that made up her hair. The red dancing flame, which almost seemed to fade a bit as just what Scorcher was seeing sunk in…

A monster standing over Floral's sliced up form…

Danielle Foster was generally known for being a kind soul; she helped where she could and was a generous teacher and leader. She looked after her people, and a lot of the HIVE came to talk to her when they needed some advice, as lord knows they couldn't go to Blood.

But this was not one of those times, as her eyes traced between Rose's ravaged body to the blood covered shears, following them up to his fire-distorted face, a face that offered no emotions from being so scarred.

But Scorcher had enough shown emotion for both of enough, as her hair changed colour.

Just about everyone in the United States had heard of Sizzle or rather Flammadea. She had been a pyromaniac who had burned down an entire city, a ghost who had despised men.

Unfortunately, that is where most people's knowledge of fire users stopped; they didn't even know what pyrokinesis was, let alone some of the top pyrokinetics of the world. It had been Sizzle/Flammadea's actions that had left their mark, rather then her methods.

And if they'd done their homework, then they would have found that Scorcher was a very powerful flame user. If tests had been done, they would have shown she had near Flammadea level power. In other words, she could have beaten Sizzle in a contest of fire. And that was becoming rapidly apparent as her hair, composed of fire itself, changed to white, the flames growing bigger.

Scorcher may have been overlooked and under-appreciated when it came to power, but that didn't matter to her now. Someone had just killed the person who was probably closer to her than her late fiancée, and she wanted revenge.

Her hair flared blue.

Cropsy let out a squealing yell as his fear of fire overcame what little reason he had left, and he charged, lifting up his sheers.

Scorcher screamed.

The walls melted from the heat she gave off.

Then… Boom.

The 'poor bastard' (emphasis on bastard) didn't know what hit him. With the amount of hate, anger and anguish Scorcher seemed to have dumped into that blast, the resulting attack sent the entire temperature of the makeshift Hive base up by a few degrees, even for people on the other side of the building. Those nearer got a blast of hot air screeching past them. And had anyone been close enough they would have seen a pillar of blue flame erupt from Floral's 'Pipe room', the surface of the walls evaporating into nothingness as metal melted and bricks exploded in the intense heat before breaking into their component atoms. Windows cracked from side to side due to the extreme temperature change. The upward blast of the pillar (since fire by its nature goes up) cooked the clouds above. A pillar charged with such raw disgust and vile venom that the supposed fire goddess who had called herself Flammadea would have gone "Well fuck me sideways from Sunday."

And then it died down, revealing the entire corridor and the surrounding rooms dissolved beyond repair, the ground flat and burnt and the bodies of Cropsy's previous victims reduced to so much ash. A scathe of melted metal formed an archway in the old corridor, as if someone had taken a circular cutter and cut a chunk out of the base like it was just some dough instead of reinforced metal and stone. All was left was Scorcher, standing there, her hair now having returned to its original red colour stopping the rain from coming close to her, her breath deep and painful.

Cropsy, on the other hand, wasn't there. He was now officially a puddle. An ever so light pinkish/red area in front of Scorcher was what was left of him.

Bastard.

Perhaps we were a bit hasty though: there was one other person. The remains of Floral, lying there, peacefully screaming at Scorcher in her misery of being cut down before her prime.

The Pyro-master staggered over and then collapsed to her knees at the sight. Strange sounds came from her mouth.

It appeared this was it. One too many deaths of extremely close loved ones for young Miss Foster had happened, more then she could handle. Such a brutal way to die, for such an innocent person…it wasn't fair. First they had taken her husband to be, then her 'big brother', and now they had taken another member of her makeshift family.

And since we can do nothing, we leave Scorcher now, as she lifted the remains of Floral up and cried, wondering why everyone had done this to her.

Why?

Why?

…. Why?

* * *

Jinx was unaware of Scorcher's anguish, of the horrors her fellow Hive mates had seen, of the danger that was rapidly closing in around her. She had seen no bodies, no blood, no strangeness, and since there were two separate dorm wings and hers was far from Floral's, she only felt a slight heat increase she barely noticed. Indeed, at the moment her only concern was that she was utterly covered in guck, and she wanted it off. And she didn't feel like half-assing it. She wanted a shower. 

Poor Jinx. She had no idea what was doing on. What had been unleashed on the place she lived in. The only person who truly knew was nowhere near her, and even if he had been he had to hold his tongue.

Otherwise he could have explained the subtle parts of what was going on. It wasn't just the creatures from films that had come to life. It was their whole damn world, the system they lived by. In other words, the clichés that allowed them to rack up victims. These clichés might have seemed stupid to a viewer, but to the actual people in the film, they never saw anything wrong. They thought it would be a marvellous idea to head off alone. Or go screw around in the creepy haunted building. Or not notice anything strange.

Or get naked.

And those rules were in effect now, with only one mind being aware of them. And that didn't help Jinx: she wanted to get clean.

As she took off her large boots and placed them to the side, where they stood up on their own as she walked into the bathroom and started to undress herself.

Now Jinx, despite her name, was actually quite a lucky individual, as ironic as it seemed. For a start she was young, and despite her lifestyle, healthy. Well, she looked it, but in actual fact she probably was quite unfit in comparison to the others in her line of work. Jinx, regardless of the constant training regime of Blood, had a very bad habit. She lived off snacks. What she didn't eat during the day she made up for in junk food in the evening. She stayed up late, drank beer when she could sneak it, and ate ice cream like the world was in danger of running out, and on top of that slept in. Lather, rinse, and repeat. Which lead into step two of her luck, as in spite of this far from ideal diet her waist always remained pretty trim, though she wasn't a stick.

You see, when we first saw Jinx she was about 15, give or take. Now, Jinx was what was known as a 'late boomer', and for a good chunk of her teenaged life, she had been a lean, tomboyish character, with thin hips and no great bust line. This was until one day Puberty, though being late, attacked with a vengeance, forcing her from a tiny, petite thing into a wasp like, extreme hourglass figure, armed with a new pair of slightly broader shoulders, larger breasts and a huge pair of hips and thighs that were still shapely, but very large all the same. For young Miss Morath, things had changed, dramatically. With such a fast transformation, she didn't really know what to do with herself, as she had assumed she had already 'matured', but obviously not.

And while the change seemed purely cosmetic, it had an effect on her performance. She had been so used to her body before that she lost a lot of her balance as her center of gravity changed abruptly. Aerial acrobatics were now something that were somewhat harder, seeing as after Jinx had finished maturing, she often fell flat on her face during practice, either overcompensating or under compensating for things like flips and spins. And since Blood spent more time shouting and screaming than actually trying to help her, she had never quite got her edge back. She had asked Scorcher for help, but she found the Elementals were not as acrobatic as she had been, as they tended to rely more on their powers.

But this was getting off the point. Sufficed to say Jinx was a very attractive young woman as she finished undressing, dropped her hair bands and stepped into the shower/bathtub. Why, yes, the last several paragraphs were written by Jedi-And, the male part of this writing duo: however did you guess?

It was a cold shower at first, but it soon warmed up into a warm, luxuriating experience. Steam rose up and around the glass door to fill the room, causing the mirror to quickly fog over and preventing anyone from seeing anything on it, though if you were in that room, and was a man who preferred the fairer sex, you would probably be more interested in looking at Jinx rather than a mirror.

With the power still screwy, the backup lights were not great, so Jinx was forced to turn on the spare light so she could see what she was doing, the spare light being almost next to her in the shower. Fortunately, Gizmo had built it so it was waterproofed. She hoped.

This unfortunately had the side effect of causing the light to backdrop her, causing her figure to silhouette on the semi-transparent curtain. Which meant if anyone wandered if, she'd be showing off all her curves against her will. But it was worth it. If there was one thing the HIVE boys knew how to build, it was a bloody good shower.

And to celebrate such a fact, she decided to start humming, which quickly built on itself. With her roommate Shimmer with the group, there was no one going to enter her room any time soon, so she started to sing.

Now, despite what is known, one thing that wasn't common knowledge was that Jinx enjoyed singing. She found it an amusing and relaxing pastime, but one thing that was made apparent when she did start to sing. While her voice had become softer in maturity, she couldn't really sing that well.

* * *

Actually, Jinx was a bit off. There was someone in the room at the moment: Mittens, Shimmer's cat, which was sitting on Shimmer's bed like he owned it and absentmindedly cleaning behind his ears. 

Then Mittens wasn't alone in the room any more.

Mittens clearly didn't like this fact, as his fur arched up and he loudly hissed.

The weapon swung down at him, faster then the eye could see.

But not faster then a cat could react, as Mittens bounded off the bed and exited the room, seeking safer places.

The wielder of the weapon was already forgetting the small cat. He had a better target.

* * *

"Noooo Blood, no stain! All you need is-One world one vision!" Jinx hummed. While she had managed to get the generally right sort of sound, it was still a little grating as she got the occasional note off. Then again, when it came to Queen songs, almost everyone got the notes wrong anyway, which is what made them such fun in karaoke sessions. 

Or maybe torture. Your decision.

Jinx, thinking to herself, decided as this could be her last time in such a wonderful shower, that she would use her fancy stuff. Periodically people get free samples of shampoo (because they couldn't find any real poo! Rimshot Ahh, the old ones never die-I did not write this, he did, blame him. LM.) from expensive companies who wished to lure in new customers. Jinx never really bought the uber-expensive stuff, even though the toiletries she bought weren't exactly cheap either, but she did have a few of those samples. And so she opened them up and lathered them onto her now wet hair. She looked strange with her hair down, it almost seemed... unnatural for her. Her hair, even without the hair bands, almost always stayed upright in a pair of twin, horn like objects that protruded from her head, though now it was soaked with water it nearly came down to her waist.

Llarenes let the shampoo soak in for a little bit while she lathered up her body, trying to make sure not to miss any part of her, but she wasn't scrubbing, she was almost… caressing her body with the sponge. (Get your minds out of the gutter! LM.) She wasn't a man who scrubbed and cleaned, she was a lady, a woman who slowly stroked and cleansed her body, a daily ritual that took a little while but made all the difference (OUT! OUT! LM). Her skin wasn't harsh and coarse like a man's would be because of this fact: it was soft, smooth and flowed with her lines, or rather curves. After her late puberty, young Miss Morath didn't seem to posses any more straight lines. Even her neck was a long, curved slope into her shoulders as they curved around and down into her shapely arms.  
As was said, she was a very attractive woman now, rather than a cuteish little minx.

But striking woman are often thought of badly, because they tended to draw men away from the women who had to rely on more than looks to grab a man. Take Platinum Blonde. One of her pastimes was to seduce men, to draw them in, to make them hers, and she felt invincible for it. Though this wasn't only the female sex. Progeny was also very well known for seducing and bedding woman, though he had yet to score Jinx, despite her… enhancements. He was well known outside the Hive as well, and had made moves on many of the women in the villain circles, though there was a few 'Out of bound' creatures to his affections. But I digress.

But it isn't just women who dislike the more beautiful creatures…

It was also some men who had been taught to think of them as tarts, sluts, whores…

…and Sinners.

If Jinx hadn't been in such a rush to get into the shower, she might have remembered to lock the door behind her when she closed it.

Because someone had decided to walk in, and regrettably because of the finale of her caterwauling, she didn't hear a thing.

The person saw her, nearly in all her glory, as he approached the shower. He saw her form, and while most men would probably need to take a cold shower themselves after walking in…this man was not one of them.

He was special.

Jinx's lone pick of luck was her sudden sense of awareness, her hairs standing up on her arms, as she grabbed the curtain and yanked it aside.

She did not see Norman Bates, if that was what you were guessing.

Instead she saw a younger man, a rather good-looking man…if not for the strange look of mixed intensity, rage, and blankness on his face…and the fact that he was wearing a Santa suit. Boots, pants, coat, gloves, everything except the hat and beard.

That, and he had an axe.

No, not Norman Bates.

But a horror all the same.

Billy Caldwell.

From _Silent Night Deadly Night._

Jinx screamed, as Billy swung back his axe.

"PUNISH!"


	3. Lost in 8MM

Part 3: Lost in 8MM

Ironically, what saved Jinx was bad luck.

So to speak.

While one would assume that the reflexes of a formerly very agile and still quite so acrobat would be top-notch, one must also understand that reflexes are designed mostly to work in anticipation of a situation. And while there are those who can turn their reactions on in a literal blink of an eye, it's not very common. For the rest, reflexes worked best if you saw what was coming, and had a fair amount of room to move.

Jinx's pulling aside of the shower curtain at the last second, not to mention she was standing up in a bathtub, pretty much rendered each part virtually nonexistent, which surely assured her doom as the axe swung at her…

But while she wasn't alert enough to properly dodge, she had enough time to move just a fraction.

Which made her foot slip.

Jinx fell into the tub as the axe whistled over her head and bit into the wall. Now good luck came into play: Jinx landed mostly on her shoulder and arm, saving her head from ramming into the tub and knocking her senseless, which would surely be followed by her being lifeless. The blast of pain didn't seem like much of a compensation though, as Jinx yelled/shrieked in pain and then shrieked again as it fully sank in: she was under attack in the shower by some lunatic with an axe.

And dressed in a Santa suit.

"PUNISH!" Billy snarled as he yanked his axe free and looped and swung it down in one smooth motion.

Jinx shoved herself backwards, using the slickness on the bottom of the tub to half propel herself back and half stand up, as the axe bit into the porcelain where her back had just been, as her mind whirled and tried to figure out what was going on.

The axe wrenched itself free again.

And Jinx decided she only had time to act, not think.

"NAUGHTY!" Billy roared as he swung.

Jinx dove to the side, just slipping past Billy's body as the axe slammed into the wall, and even as she did she fired off a mild hex blast, striking Billy with it.

Just as he was yanking the axe back out once more.

You see, due to the fact that the curtain had remained open during the whole battle, water had gotten everywhere, including all over the floor in front of the bathtub.

As Billy's booted foot moved slightly as he yanked the axe back…

And slipped.

His momentum severely altered, Billy found himself recoiling back and spinning around, as he lost his balance…

And slammed his forehead against the edge of the sink as he fell, a powerful impact that Billy's head violently snapped off of before he hit the ground.

A smear of blood remained on the white cracked basin, as blood began leaking from the prone Billy's head, as he lay on his stomach, his head to the side, not moving.

Jinx sat on the floor from where she had come to a stop, having scrabbled up against the door as she watched, waited, as her brain tried to sort itself out from the firestorm of adrenaline and panic that had been flowing through her.

But it did swiftly, as Jinx's breathing slowed. She still had no idea what was going on, but she knew one thing: she wasn't figuring stuff out in the buff.

Grabbing a towel off the wall, Jinx stood up and ran from the bathroom.

And then Billy's lone exposed eye snapped open.

Jinx's progress was abruptly halted at the door to her clothes, as she punched in the three-digit code to open the sliding door and got no result. She did it twice more before she shrieked a curse and slammed her palm against the wall. The lock was jammed, probably by whatever strangeness had caused that scene in the TV room. Which meant her only choice for clothes was the filthy outfit she'd come in in…

Or…whatever she had left in the small suitcase under her bed.

Thank god she hadn't decided to completely unpack.

Jinx ran over to her bed, dragged out the suitcase, and opened it up, looking inside…

Thank god Billy hadn't smashed the light in the bathroom. It was that which backlit him and allowed Jinx to see the shadow falling over her in time.

"PUNISH!"

The axe slammed into the contents of the suitcase as Jinx dodged to the side, trying to flee again…

And then Billy stepped on the loose end of her towel.

Which made her let it go.

Which made her lose her balance.

Which made her stumble into one of the small water puddles she'd made coming out of the bathroom with her still rather wet body.

Which made her slip more.

Which made her fall backwards and slam the back of her head against the wall. Pain exploded through her head as stars exploded in her vision.

With a grunt, Billy wrestled his axe free and turned towards Jinx.

Who dearly wanted to hex him again, but with the pain drilling through her cranium from the impact she could barely form a coherent thought…

Billy advanced on her, his head blow seemingly having unaffected him except for making him madder.

Three Billies danced before Jinx…

Billy stopped as he swung his axe up, ready to bury it in Jinx's head.

"NAUGHTY!"

And Jinx definitely was, as she lashed up with her right foot and buried it square between Billy's Christmas balls.

You don't need to be thinking clearly for SOME counter attacks.

Billy squealed and collapsed, his axe barely missing Jinx as she dodged and started to crawl away, trying to gather her head back together. She found her bed and pushed herself to her feet, wondering where her backup was…

And saw Billy was getting himself back together as well. Jinx's eyes darted around, wondering if there was any way to delay him…

"PUNISH!" Billy snarled, coming for her.

No. Nothing. And her head still hurt too much to use a hex. And she wasn't going to engage an axe-wielding maniac in hand to hand.

So she did the only thing left: she ran.

Until she stopped at the door, realizing she was still naked as a jaybird.

"PUNISH!"

And such thoughts as modesty were buried under older human instincts as Jinx screamed and ran, Billy in hot pursuit.

* * *

In a majority of stories, a canon plotline where story events must be strictly observed and noted must be followed. But in tales such as this, a need for such things is only necessary if the tellers say so. 

And since we don't feel the need to stick to absolute canon, we now switch away from the Hive and to a completely different place.

Specifically, to a dark bar, late at night. The fact that it wasn't that late at the HIVE notwithstanding. The bar was considered by those who didn't go as a rough place, and those who did as a good hangout spot.

A man in a long coat walked up to the bar, having just come in from the torrential downpour that was outside. He sat down in his usual seat and didn't look around much, with the exception of wiping the rain from his somewhat bald head.

"If it isn't the big KJ. Welcome back. Usual?" The barmaid asked as she wiped a glass clean. The man offered a silent nod as she poured out a glass of fine highland scotch.

Now this in and of itself may have very little significance to the story or even to anything apart from the fact it seemed like a normal bar, until you take into account the person behind the bar was an above average Blacktrinian woman, with one yellow eye and an eye patch over the other. Her hair was shiny black, shoulder length and fell in a rough, off centre parting. While she was in a uniform consisting of a white shirt, black mini-skirt and a black apron, you could tell she was a person the Titans knew all too well.

"Excuse me Miss Styles? What channel is this?" A very familiar figure asked as he quietly sat there, writing some notes, probably for plans, also equally likely for a book. His outfit was black and silver armour with a mask, orange one side and black the other. On the TV in question, we could see our poor he…villains struggling through the events of Boogeymen II, no adverts and no interruptions, which is more than can be said for this story at any rate. At the moment, the screen was showing the large group of Hive members that had broken away from Juryrig in order to escape. However, they apparently hadn't been able to decide on a central plan of escape, as they were now all arguing.

"It's the Lord channel Mr. Wilson." Rebecca Styles replied. Yep, the White Hole was serving drinks to Killjoy, the 'Urban Legend Killer', and Slade Wilson, who was just a legendary killer. You see, seeing as this is a story that involves that obscure time in-between stories, one can play around with who is dead and who is alive, and seeing as most of the villains are around for the Villain Café, we can assume they are around for the Halloween specials also.

"That still doesn't make much sense. How did we get here anyway?" Rebecca asked, trying not to sound too confused. It was probably the calmest anyone had ever heard the White Hole, but that was a good thing I suppose.

"Wilful misdirection." Slade replied, and then offered her a large, very thick book on such which he, of course, had written. She opened up the tome and flipped through it. It was incredible detailed and intricate in every element, but it read like stereo instructions.

"Good stuff, but your writing needs work." She said after a few moments of being absorbed by the work.

"So does your choice of entertainment." Slade said, pointing to the stage, on which stood a drunken Australian singing 'Johnny B. Good'. He wore a long red jacket with a red and white waistcoat, which was crisscrossed by leather straps. He had red spiked hair that swept backwards, and his hands were covered by black gloves, and for very good reason. This was Jack Djinn, aka Asphyxiation, and he was drunk out of his Aussie mind.

"Boss?" Rebecca called into the back, extending the 'Oss' sound in order to catch his attention.

"Yes?" Returned a voice, as from the back came a man with long black hair wearing a smart suit, as it was what he needed to wear for the villain Café. His pale face was half shrouded in shadow; the same shadow seemed to make up his right hand. He was a tallish and lean gent, but obviously had enough muscle to deal some damage to others.

It was none other then the Lord of the Night, and if you had actually bothered to read Tales and Randomness, you would know this was his bar.

And at that moment Jack fell off the stage, smashing a few chairs and a table. The Lord sighed.

"Styles? Get the broom."

"Yes boss." She replied with a sigh, as she went to clean up the mess the drunk had made.

"What is this strangeness?" Slade asked, pointing to the screen.

"In this strange limbo we're in, who says we can't watch what other people are doing. The author's done her silly horror trick again and the result is playing out before us. Here's a list of who's in it." The Lord said, handing Slade a piece of paper. His eye flicked over it.

"Interesting." He finally said. "But not really enough so to keep my attention…unless you'd care to make it more interesting?"

"What are you getting at Deathstroke?"

"I wonder, Lord, if you would not be averse to laying down a small wager on the outcome of this special you have given us." Slade said with confidence and willingness. The Lord liked a man who knew little fear and still had enough of his wits about him to insert more than three syllables in one sentence.

"What do you have in mind?" He asked simply.

"Twenty five hundred thousand dollars to see if a particular subject makes it to the end of your little rat-race, oh 'Lord of the Night'." Slade said. The Lord didn't much care for his tone, but he let it go as Slade offered up a very thick wad of cash and placed it on the table. The Lord had no need for money: he could will it out of thin air if he so wished, and there was nothing it could get he couldn't just take for himself, but it was the principle of the thing.

"Agreed. Who do you pick?"

"The stone golem. Rocky, Rocking…Rocko." Slade said, checking the list for the name.

"Hmmm. Well I must say it will be a pleasure to take money from you." The Lord said placed down a similar amount. "Nightwalker."

"Count me in too!" Rebecca said as she returned with the broom, searching around her uniform for her purse. "I bet on Juryrig." She continued to look. "When I find the money."

"FLLEEEENNSSSEE!" A drunk Australian caterwauled. How Jack Djinn knew the boy's name was a mystery I'll leave for you to solve.

A slow and silent, gloved hand pushed a wad of cash forward with the label of 'Scorcher' on it. Soon all the villains in the bar were getting in on the act.

At least until the screen switched to show a naked Jinx running down the hall.

"WHOA! HELLO! SHOW JUST GOT BETTER!" Jack yelled as he plunked himself down on the nearest stool.

"Care for a separate wager?" Slade asked the Lord, as Billy emerged and pursued.

"On?"

"Her survival. I say she doesn't make it."

"How cruel Slade. Didn't you employ her a few times?"

"She failed all those times. And people rarely change." Slade said.

"If you think so. Then I guess I vote for her survival. As anathema as that normally would be." The Lord said, as he coolly watched the screen. "Hmmm, the carpet matches the curtains."

And with that, let us return to _terra firma…_or perhaps more aptly, _terror firma…

* * *

_

It was funny. Due to the slow rebuilding of the school the Hive was using as a makeshift base, the students had swiftly gotten used to the same old rooms and corridors. Hell, before this incident, Jinx would have bet she could have walked through them blindfolded.

And now that she really needed to know where she was going, she didn't have a clue. Every hallway looked the same, no familiar exit presented itself. So she swallowed her pride more and continued to scream, running like hell.

Not that, as she glanced over her shoulder, that seemed to be doing her much good. She was sprinting in blind panic, while the Santa psycho seemed to be moving at a fast stalking pace at best, which was quicker then normal walking but should have been inferior to outright running. Yet she couldn't seem to get any distance between the two of them. Hell, he seemed to be catching up! What the hell!

And Jinx turned her head back…and nearly ran face first into the wall. She had to throw up her arms to stop the impact, and the jolt sent another lightning bolt of pain through her head, making her dizzy and nauseous.

"PUNISH!"

That was a good motivator to recover, as Jinx shoved off the wall and continued running, Billy just several steps away. She came to another corner, ran around it…and found herself heading down a hallway in which a closed metal door stood.

Jinx blinked sweat out of her eyes as she ran up to it. Locked, of course, but the keypad was right next to the door. What was the password…?

A shadow loomed around the corner as Jinx punched in what she was sure was the five number code.

She got no response.

She punched it in again.

Still no response.

Jinx frantically pounded on the keys.

No response at all. Not even an error message.

The electronics, she remembered. They were scrambled and hence not working.

She was trapped.

A boot clomped down on the ground hard as Jinx leaned there, feeling a strange coldness.

And as she looked at her arm, she found the strangest thing bothered her most. It wasn't the fact that she was seemingly due to die a horrible bloody death, or that she'd forgotten all her teachings to run screaming like a helpless damsel in distress. No…what bothered her the most was she was naked. She'd been forced to streak through the Hive on some mad chase and she was going to die that way, going out of the world as she came in…

…The hell she was.

Jinx turned around, even as her head was slammed with another wave of pain. She ignored it this time.

If Billy was happy his prey was trapped, he gave no sign of it, as he advanced rapidly on Jinx, a tinge of disgust mixed in with his usual expression.

"Punish…!" He snarled, as he closed in.

"One thing you have to ask yourself…do you feel lucky?" Jinx said, as her eyes glowed.

"PUNISH!" Billy screamed.

Pink power, faded but still there, erupted on Jinx's hand.

Billy swung the axe.

Jinx cartwheeled at the same time, firing off the weak tendrils of pink energy, as the axe swung past her naked body, missing by a mere inch…

And slammed into the electronic keylock.

"AUGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Billy bellowed as untold amounts of voltage surged through his form, his body jerking from the current for a few seconds before his fingers were torn from the axe and he fell at Jinx's feet, the axe remaining buried in the door panel, a few sparks still issuing forth.

And ironically, the door slid open.

"…Well, do you? PUNK?" Jinx said. In terms of her impression, the real Clint Eastwood needn't have worried about losing his job any time soon.

Then the wave of vertigo hit Jinx, and she fell to one knee, panting, as she once again tried to sort out her thoughts.

Was that movement…no couldn't be…must be her eyes. Jinx closed them and placed her fingers on her forehead, willing the pain to go away, wanting it so badly to…

And the pain actually seemed to oblige, as the African drum choir that had taken up residence in her head packed up and left, finally allowing Jinx to clear her thoughts, now that the danger was over…

She opened her eyes.

She had been wrong. It HAD been movement, as Billy was once again on his feet, his suit smoking, the palms of his hands burned, and his eyes awash with madness as he lunged at her to choke the life out of her.

"PUNISH!"

Jinx reacted on pure instinct, abruptly switching her weight to her hands as she coiled her legs, and as Billy reached in she sprang her legs up, standing on her hands as she reached up and grabbed Billy firmly around the neck with her ankles and thighs, and before Billy could do anything about it she once again abruptly shifted her weight and fed Billy's momentum into it to flip him over her, letting his body carrying her up, as she slammed him on the ground behind her on his shoulders as she shifted up and was suddenly standing above him, still clenching his neck with her legs and probably giving him one hell of a view.

Not like he could appreciate it, as his eyes blazed and his lips skinned back from his teeth.

"NAUGHTYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

"Wrong." Jinx said.

And she sharply twisted her interlocked ankles, Billy's head still clutched between them.

The dull crack of his neck breaking was louder then she expected.

Billy shuddered once more and then went limp beneath her.

"BAD." Jinx said.

The pink haired sorceress stepped off Billy's body and leaned against the wall, hoping this was the last time her system would surge with and then come down from an adrenaline rush.

Well, first things first: her modesty. Her clothes were back in her room, but she wasn't taking any chances of running into Hive members on her way back. And since her options were limited to one, as distasteful as she found it, she went about it, as she went back to Billy's body and began undoing his coat, wary of the possibility he might STILL get back up and head after her.

He didn't do that.

Instead something even more surprising happened.

As Jinx finally got the coat off and lifted it up…

Only to find her fingers were going through it. Jinx squawked and tried to renew her grip, but her hands were now passing through the garment like it was made of smoke, as the color paled, went see through, and began vanishing entirely…

As did Billy's body. The sight struck Jinx numb, and all she could do was watch as Billy's form, jacket, and even the axe stuck in the door disappeared into nothing.

Jinx stared at the spot for a few more seconds anyway.

"…Ok…well…that was…interesting…but before I ponder it more, I must obtain clothing…" Jinx said as she stood up. "Yes…clothing…swiftly…"

If there was any benefit, it was the fact that the strange sight kept her mind of the mortification of jogging back to her room naked.

* * *

Seemore was certain his Optimax, the weapon device he wore on his head, was on the fritz. Because he'd turned his head down the corridor he was passing by and could have sworn he had seen one and a half seconds of a naked Jinx jogging down the hallway before she vanished around the corner. 

Behind his helmet, Seemore's actual two eyes blinked.

"…Nah." He justified. Must have been a trick of…something. God knows this place seemed ready to bust out any number of tricks against him.

Seemore had been away from the part when the strangeness had happened: he'd just finished using the facilities when the lights had gone out. They'd come back on in a few seconds, and Seemore had yet to see any butchered bodies or hell corridors to show him something was seriously out of whack…

But he sensed it anyway. The whole aura of the base had changed, going from a familiar place to something sinister. Seemore thought of his great-aunt, her tales of voodoo and haints (another term for ghosts), how there were bad things lurking beyond the shadows of this world and one would be best not to cross them.

Seemore hadn't paid her much mind. He'd been rather cocky even before the Hive, before the Optimax and the power it gave him.

He wished he had.

Because it certainly seemed like there were bad things in the shadows beyond the world.

And they seemed to have decided to pop in and say hello.

What made it worse was Seemore had yet to find any of his friends and allies. Naked Jinx notwithstanding (he'd already dismissed that as a trick of his overactive and hormone drenched imagination), he hadn't seen a soul. Considering the makeshift base usually had at least SOMEONE roaming the corridors even in the dead of night, this total solitude wasn't helping his heepy-jeepies. So he walked slowly, one hand on the side of his Optimax (which wasn't fully charged, damn it, he usually charged it overnight and he'd done training today, so it was at about half capacity, but he'd live with that for now, he was sure he had an eye vision that would work on ghosts…hopefully…), ready for anything…

Except, of course, what happened.

Which was him hearing music.

Specifically, a guitar.

Seemore blinked again. He wasn't sure how to read this. Was it a sign of normality returning, or a sign that weirdness was afoot?

He'd decide later. Right now he'd find out just what the noise was.

His hand still and steady, Seemore followed it.

* * *

Seemore probably would have felt much better if he knew he was relatively close to the main group of Hive students, the ones Sabotage had convinced to break away. Unfortunately, it is not the nature of a large group of varying temperaments in a crisis situation to mesh well, and when meshing doesn't happen, the opposite usually does. And as we may (or may not) have seen on a certain TV, the large group (as well as about a dozen Hive guards the group had picked up along the way, though they didn't know what was going on either) had lasted about seven minutes before falling into argument in one of the large training rooms. 

"I KNOW this is the way asshole! You wanna die?" Sabotage snapped at Mammoth.

"I've been her longer then you Cord. And if you think I'm crazy enough to trust your judgement, you're even stupider then I thought." Mammoth replied, Shimmer hiding behind him.

"Oh really? You wanna throw down and see just how stupid I am?" Sabotage shot back.

"No…please don't fight…" Shimmer said.

"This isn't getting us anywhere! Can you just please fight or whatever, let's just pick a direction!" Flense snapped.

"Geez, look at them." Buzz Bomb said to Flay, who glanced at the teen in the armoured bee suit. Flay had tried to avoid talking to the teen: it was clear he was buzzed out of his mind on caffeine and the adrenaline that had most likely been dumped into his system probably hadn't helped. His body was a mass of tic's and twitches, and Flay was standing as much behind him as he could so the bee-man wouldn't accidentally fire one of his laser gauntlets into something Flay didn't care to have a laser fired into.

"What do you expect? Cord wants to control without giving a damn for leading."

"Idiots! Well no matter! If it all goes to hell, I still have my secret weapon!" Buzz Bomb semi-cackled to himself.

"…Secret weapon?" Flay said, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes!"

"…Ok. Secret weapon. What is it?"

"If I TOLD you, it wouldn't be much of a secret now would it? Would it, woulditwouldit?" Buzz Bomb said, rubbing his hands together and slurring the last two repetitions to the point where he sounded like he was doing a bad Woody Woodpecker impression. Flay decided the hell with tact and scurried away from Buzz Bomb, even as Mammoth decided he wasn't going to fight with Sabotage and led Shimmer away from the group.

"Anyone who wants to follow this dipshit is welcome to. But if you want to find the way out, come with me." Mammoth said as he headed for a door. The group of Hive students looked at each other, as if challenging each other to decide who went first.

In the end it was Progeny.

"Nothing personal guys." He said as he headed after Mammoth.

"Yeah, same har'. Just know I did this because I know that bi'gun will watch my back, while that varmint wouldn't piss on me if I was on fire." Billy Numerous said, as he and his several clones went with Progeny after Mammoth and Shimmer.

In the end though, they were the only two.

"All right! Now let's get down to business!" Sabotage said.

"Um, excuse me? How did you come to be in charge?" Nightwalker asked.

"Because I said so! Now, we don't know what's going on, so one of you is going to have to scout ahead!"

"What? What happened to your confidence that you knew the exit?" Flay said.

"Just for THAT, YOU can be the volunteer Simon!"

"You don't have the right or the rank to order me to do anything."

"I have plenty of rank! I run this show, by the authority of Cord Rayfory, lord and master of the Kingdom of Sabotage the First, and if anyone has a problem, they had come eat my fist and then kiss my big fat…"

A large hand of stone dropped onto Sabotage's shoulder. Despite the fact that it was done lightly, Sabotage was still nearly driven to his knees.

"That's about enough talking." Rocko said quietly. Sabotage craned his head and looked up at Rocko with furious eyes, but Rocko's blank white gaze was all he saw, and after several seconds of fighting the inevitable Sabotage screwed up his pride and let his arms fall limp. His power could royally screw over anyone…organic. Rocko was made of stone through and through, and as she had demonstrating in a humiliating (for him) training session, his power didn't affect her in the slightest. Without that Sabotage was just a martial artist, and going toe to toe with a pile of walking stones was a good way to sign your death warrant.

"Now…scouting may be a good idea. Simon…would you mind?" Rocko asked.

"…Sure, why not." Flay said, as he uncoiled a whip and began heading off in the direction Sabotage had wanted to go.

"You want backup?" Nightwalker asked.

"Too close in those hallways. We get attacked, you'll probably get in my way. Don't worry. I may not know much, but I know when I'm overmatched. If that happens I'll come running back here screaming my head off." Flay said, as he vanished into another door.

"We'll wait a few minutes and then follow. If anyone needs to rest, reload, drink, use the washroom, I suggest you do it now." Rocko said.

And much to Sabotage's immense aggravation, they obeyed her without question.

* * *

The hallways were a maze. 

And in mazes, one never knows what is around the next corner.

As a resulting, a gun was peeking around the latest one, followed by the head of the wielder. Which would have scared the crap out of anyone watching, because the wielder's head was an upside down bucket. There wasn't even a smiley face painted on, just a blank bucket, attached to a body made up of knick-knacks Juryrig had scrounged from the storage room. To this basic frame he'd attached as many weapons as he could, which was about eight or so, minus the explosives. He'd grabbed a large machine gun for himself as well, just in case, and at the moment was opening his eyes to look at his two companions, Platinum Blonde and Rhinoceros Beetle. Platinum Blonde had insisted she didn't need a gun: Rhinoceros Beetle had wanted one but none had been big enough for his huge hands. And Juryrig sure wasn't letting him change back to his small human form and THEN give him a gun: with Wilby's light weight and immense nervousness he'd probably shoot them in the back before he shot any threats.

In any case, Juryrig had had his eyes closed to tap into a rarely used facet of his ability: he was linked to his creations, and if he closed his eyes and concentrated, he could see briefly through their eyes (even if they didn't have any).

"Clear." Juryrig said, as he moved his golem (Juryrig had dubbed him Duke Nukem) around the corner and followed it, his two companions scurrying after him. So far, so good. The worst part had been going through the hell corridor, which hadn't just been scary but downright…offensive was the only word Juryrig could think of. As if his body and mind found something fundamentally wrong with the area and had rejected it. But at least the corridor had come to an end, bleeding (bad choice of words there) back into a normal school hallway. Juryrig and Co hadn't stuck around after that: they were afraid if they looked back they would find the passageway chasing them.

"Julian, I must ask, what's the plan?" Rhinoceros Beetle asked.

"We look for Floral/Scorcher/Blood/a way out, not necessarily in that order but preferably." Juryrig said, as he checked around another corner and found it clear as well. That hallway ended in a T-junction.

"Where are we? I though I had this whole place memorized." Platinum Blonde complained as they headed for the T part of the passage.

"I've been getting that feeling myself. It's as if someone rearranged the whole structure…" Juryrig said, as he checked both sides of the T and found nothing.

"But that's impossible!" Platinum Blonde said.

"Impossible is a matter of perspective, Antoinette…" Juryrig said, as he looked left and right and decided to go left, gesturing to both indicate his choice and send the Duke Nukem golem ahead before following it. Platinum Blonde followed Juryrig.

Rhinoceros Beetle did not.

And if asked, he'd be surprised at why people were asking him the question.

As no sooner had Wilby stepped his massive frame into the T-junction then he had heard the voices, the voices…whispering in his ear…coming from down the right hallway…

Telling him he would never leave and that he would be punished…

And then the dead voices apparently called up Kubrick.

As suddenly from around the hallway corner Wilby was looking at it came, a gigantic wave of red, a massive surge of blood, filling the whole walkway with a surging crimson tide, a tide in which thrashing and deformed skeletons made of yellow, corroded bones bobbed and weaved, clawing at the air, cackling madly…

As the giant surge of blood closed in on Wilby.

You would think that his companions would have heard his scream. Hell, it was strange the whole Hive didn't.

But they didn't.

And it had nothing to do with distance or noise factors.

They just didn't.

And so they moved on.

For about two or so minutes before a thought occurred to Juryrig.

"You know for a big guy you sure move quietly Wil…by…" Juryrig said, as he turned around…and found the man-mountain gone. "What the hell?"

"What?" Platinum Blonde said, turning around and discovering the same. _"Ce qui? Ou est-ill alle?"_

"How could you miss him disappearing?" Juryrig almost yelled.

"What? You're the leader, why are you blaming me?" Platinum Blonde snapped back.

"As the leader I have to be IN the front keeping my eyes AHEAD, hence YOU have to be looking BEHIND you. How the hell do you lose someone like Wilby? He's kind of hard to…" Juryrig trailed off.

Platinum Blonde was about to yell back before Juryrig cut her off by snapping the clip of ammo he had in his gun out and then back in, presumably to check to see if it was still full of bullets (it was).

"What?" Platinum Blonde said.

"Thought I heard something."

"I didn't hear anything."

"That doesn't guarantee a damn thing…" Juryrig said, as he slowly traced his gun along one of the shadows in the room they had stopped in.

Movement.

Juryrig emptied half a clip as Platinum Blonde slammed her hands over her ears at the sudden eruption of noise, Juryrig only stopping his fire when the figure became clearer.

"Jesus!" Zippy yelled, as she stopped dancing, bullet holes around her lower body. "WhatkindofawaytogreetafriendisthatIknowyouknowIcandodgebulletsbutIdon'tneedabrupttrainingsessionsinthatfacthankyouverymuch…!"

"Sally!" Platinum Blonde said.

"OhhelloAntoinettenicetoseeyoutoowouldhavebeennicerifyouhadseenmebeforenutcaseherestarteddoinghisRamboimpression…!"

"Ok, TIME!" Juryrig said. "Ok Sal, sorry. But if you haven't somehow noticed, something really weird is going on here."

"Ohtellmeaboutit!" Zippy said, and proceeded to lay out her race with Hermes, its ending, and what she had observed as a result of the ending. If she actually took a breath during the whole time, Juryrig couldn't make it out.

"Andthat'sit! IwasrunningaroundlookingforpeopleandIfoundyoumuchtomyalmostnearregret!" Zippy finished.

"…Ok." Juryrig said. "Anyone want to bet that what Zippy saw is what's caused this to happen?"

"Well I certainly didn't think it was Jerry Lewis." Platinum Blonde replied.

"Right. Ok then, first we have to find Wilby…where the hell did he get off to anyway?" Juryrig said.

* * *

Wilby lowered his arms, gazing at what had been a hallway filled with rushing blood and demon bones…and was now just a hallway again. There was no blood on the floor, the walls, the ceiling, on him, anywhere at all. 

Whatever it had been, it apparently hadn't had too firm a grip on reality.

Wilby's rush of relief lasted approximately one second before he turned around and found he was alone.

"…Guys?" Rhinoceros Beetle said. "Guys? GUYS!"  
Wilby could safely assume that Julian and Antoinette hadn't gone past him (and he wasn't going down the corridor of blood that wasn't there unless someone put a gun to his head), so he headed down the other way.

Which ended abruptly in a dead end. A dead end that Juryrig and Platinum Blonde had not found.

What Wilby found was a wall hung with tools. Terrible, horrid, wretched tools, blackened with rust and encrusted with god knew what, tools that could clearly only be used for one thing and that was to make a mortal long for the embrace of hell…

Wilby turned and sprinted back the way he came…and stopped at the T-junction again, remembering the corridor of blood.

"…Anyone? ANYONEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Wilby bellowed.

But the only return sound he got was the echoing of his own voice.

* * *

Seemore couldn't believe his eye. 

As a member of an organization that trained young people in special powers, natural (like, say, Scorcher's) or outside enhancement (Gizmo's combat robotics, or Seemore's own Optimax), in a world filled with heroes and villains and spirits and demons and a thousand other kinds of strangeness, you would think it would be hard to surprise Seemore. And it wasn't easy. But this wasn't just something strange. This was something, well, normal for a lack of a better term, a far more common sight then, say, a fifty-story monster. But it was such a common sight in such an unusual situation that Seemore would have been less perturbed if he had seen a ten-foot bug.

He'd followed the guitar noise back to the cafeteria where earlier he'd been having Flay do whip tricks, and found its source. It was indeed a guitar, being played by a woman. She looked to be in her early to mid twenties, a white girl who stood about 5'5 (Seemore has a good eye, so to speak) with reddish-brown hair and brown eyes. She was sitting on the bench of one of the tables, strumming a guitar and singing. Since she was facing to the side of the door Seemore had come in, she hadn't yet seen him, as she continued to play and sing, and Seemore just goggled at her, not sure what to make of it.

"Oh I'm a happy camper, I love the summer sun! I love the trees and forest, I'm always having fun! Ohhhh, I'm a happy camper…" The strange woman sang. A very slight whirring noise was drowned out as Seemore's Cyclops eye reacted to the muscle motions of his actual eyes beneath the helmet and opened wider. Was someone playing a prank on him? He didn't recognize the woman, but he'd met two shapeshifters since he'd started his Hive training, so that didn't necessarily mean anything.

"…I love the clear blue sky." The strange woman sang on. "And with the grace of God, I'll camp until I…"

And then her eyes flicked over to Seemore, who started. Evidently she'd finally noticed him.

Though she didn't seem unhappy at the fact. Just the opposite really.

"Hey there! Are you someone who can actually show me around?" She asked, giving an odd smile that Seemore couldn't quite place. The woman was looking closer at him, frowning eye. "Good gracious, what is that on your head? Is that some kind of new headgear to replace eyeglasses? Because if it is, I think you should stick to eyeglasses."

"…What?" Seemore said.

"You need help with hearing too? I said…"

"No no no! I mean…who are you?" Seemore asked, as he stepped into the room, still keeping a hand on his trigger switch.

"You don't know? You should, you hired me!"

"What?"

"Well why else would I be here? I'd have to have been hired! Though I must admit, this isn't like any other camp I've ever seen." The woman said, sitting up a bit as she adjusted her guitar and strummed a few notes. "Are you a camper or a counselor?"

"…Lady, I think you may have made a mistake." Seemore said, as he carefully walked around in front of the woman, though he kept a distance of several feet. "This isn't a camp…and who are you anyway?"

"It isn't?" The woman said, and Seemore could have sworn she looked crestfallen.

"Uh, no…and who are you?"

"My name's Angela. And if this is a joke, it's not funny. Camps are important. They help kids learn to love each other. So if I'm here and this isn't a camp, then I'm wasting my time and I don't like doing that." Angela said, as her sudden good cheer was laced with a cold, virulent undertone that chilled Seemore. It was the sudden addition of said tone that clued in Seemore on the description of her smile: it was indeed a camp counselor smile, filled with the overload of "we're all having fun!" counselors had to muster to try and get their charges to do what they wanted instead of running wild. For some it was an act, and for some it was genuine. Seemore wasn't sure of this Angela though (and that name sounded familiar), but he'd seen enough to gather it wasn't all kosher.

The fact that it swiftly faded and was replaced by the good cheer again didn't help any, as Angela switched back to happy happy joy joy mode.

"So quit joking silly! Show me around! Have to know the ground, make sure kids don't get lost…or go sneaking off…to do…their dirty things…" Angela said. The nasty undertone was back.

"Uh…"

"What, do you not know your way around either? I must admit, it wouldn't surprise me. This is a piss poor layout and design: no windows, all these metal and yellow coloring…this is a camp, not a beehive! Well, if you can't show me around we can sit band wait until someone who can shows up. You know Kumbaya don't you? Of course you do…!"

"…Miss, I'm afraid you're mistaken. This isn't a camp."

"It isn't?"

"No miss. In fact it's a school. Or was. And the fact that you're in it poses a few questions I wouldn't mind you answering." Seemore said.

Angela went still. Seemore debated it and then lifted his fingers a bit as he clicked through his dial of eye powers.

"So if we could start at the beginning…" Seemore said, as he took another step to the left…

And saw it.

It was perfectly positioned, with Angela's body and the shadows of the bench and table she was sitting at perfectly camouflaging it until you looked at it with the proper angle.

The body of a Hive drone, now very dead. His throat slashed from ear to ear.

Seemore gasped.

As Angela drew her hand back from where it had been concealed behind the guitar with the largest, nastiest hunting knife Seemore had ever seen, a sigh escaping her lips.

"So you're a bad apple like the rest." Angela said sadly. "A pity, I had a good first impression."

She moved so fast even Seemore didn't see her coming, as Angela got up, her guitar clattering at her feet as she dashed and slashed, the knife slicing open Seemore's chest in a wide gash, the light armor of his costume providing some protection but not enough, as Seemore screamed, blood gushing from the wound, and even as he did Angela was bringing back her arm as she swung for his throat, a blow Seemore managed to deflect somewhat as he got his arms up, the blade nicking one and slicing open the other, knocking down the black teen at the same time.

"What are you? A drinker? A fornicator? A drug addict? You inner city kids do like your narcotics." Angela said as she expertly flicked the knife to get the stray blood off it to keep it from running down onto her hand. Seemore just yelled and moaned in pain, blood pouring from his wounds. "Maybe you're all three. You kids can never be content with just one sin! You have to sin in all sorts of ways!"

Angela stepped in, aiming for the back of Seemore's neck.

"Well if you're like the rest of them, you can just join the rest! And what you are is a BAD APPLE!" Angela shrieked, and swung down.

As a yellow shield of power popped up over Seemore, the knife digging into the orb but not penetrating it as the kinetic impact was reversed and Angela was shoved back, and her eyes went wide and her mouth formed an O of shock at this strangeness.

The shield vanished, as Seemore turned his head to look at Angela, his mouth in a grimace as he quickly cycled from protective to offensive aspects of his Optimax, his eye going from yellow to green.

"Actually…" Seemore said. "I'm an eye-opener."

Seemore fired off three green Impact Eyes: two hit, slamming into Angela and throwing her backwards against one of the lunchroom tables. Seemore got up, his other hand clutching his chest wound: it hurt like hell but it was just a flesh wound. What he was going to do to this Angela (even as his Optimax computers reminded him that the shield mode was meant to take kinetic and incendiary impacts, not piercing, so please don't do that again, ok?) would be a lot more then that.

"Angela was it?" Seemore said, as he cycled through his options again. "Well I'm afraid, Angela, that you are in the wrong place, and not welcome. I vote for your expulsion."

The Optimax settled onto his red Detonation setting.

"All in favor, say EYE."

And Seemore fired the large energy orb.

And Angela showed great reflexes and endurance as she dove out of the way of the blast, the attack blowing the whole table behind to bits, showering Seemore with splinters as he recoiled and cursed under his breath. With his lower power settings he'd have to charge up to fire another Detonation Eye, and he doubted…

"BASTARD!" Angela shrieked as she was up and charging, running in to gut Seemore. Seemore recoiled away as she slashed wide, barely missing as he backed up as fast as he could.

"NOT JUST A SINNER! A FREAK TOO!" Angela said as she did several fast swings that just missed, as Seemore was backed up against another table. Seeing him trapped, Angela reared back for a big one.

Until her knife was blown out of her hand and into bits by another Impact orb.

"Sorry we don't see eye to eye." Seemore said, and let Angela have it at point blank range in the chest, throwing her right off her feet and causing her to hit the ground and slide nearly ten more feet before she stopped at another table. "But I'm not the one committing murder here."

Seemore quickly cycled to his blue Containment orb. If it could hold that alien, it would hold this lunatic.

Except he missed again, as Angela scrabbled up at the last second and just avoided the attack, the blue orb smacking against the table and sticking there as Angela vanished behind another, the cluster of tables hiding her crawling form.

Seemore growled and began switching to X-Ray vision. He didn't want this lunatic getting the drop on him. Then again, he though, as the tables went clear and he began scanning the room, very carefully walking to try and avoid ambushes, without her knife he doubted she could do too much damage. Weapons, more often then not, made the man…or woman…

And then something occurred to Seemore.

His last trick with Flay.

With the crowbar.

Which he couldn't remember taking out of the cafeteria…

"AIIIYYYYYYYAH!" Angela screamed as she came out of the literal nowhere, swinging the length of metal right into Seemore's ribs, causing more blood to spray from his injury and knocking the wind out of him, stopping him before he could scream, and then Angela whacked him across the shoulder and he was sent sprawling, falling onto another bench (as a musty smell filled his nostrils, telling him it was one of the old rotten wood benches from the old cafeteria the Hive hadn't gotten around to getting rid of yet), and as Seemore tried to turn around Angela loomed up behind him, a brief flash of light reflecting off the sharp point Flay had made at the end of the crowbar with his whip trick, a sharp edge Angela lanced down at Seemore.

Who activated his shield.

And was warned.

The point dug deep into the shield and then pierced through it as the weakened power cell failed.

And dug a chunk of meat off Seemore's shoulder.

He'd been able to move, just a bit.

Not that that made him feel any better, as he screamed again, clutching his shoulder, and then Angela slammed a foot onto his chest, propping him up as she strangely turned the crowbar around so the blunter edge was facing him.

Or maybe not so strangely, considering the look on her face. No simple quick death would be enough for him, no. She wanted him to feel it, as she smashed his head apart with the blunt end.

"Didn't your mother teach you you shouldn't stare at a lady?" Angela said, as she raised the crowbar.

And brought it down.

The end buried itself in the soft wood as Seemore contorted his neck at an angle he would have never believed was possible under normal circumstances, and even as he did he managed to break his record at switching as he changed back to Impact Eye, firing another one into Angela's torso and knocking her back again with a cry. Seemore rolled away and came up a dozen feet from Angela, even as he reached up and switched his Optimax one degree onto his last Detonation blast.

"Lady, you ain't one." Seemore said, and fired.

And realized the blows had thrown off his aim more then he expected, as the Detonation Orb missed the rising Angela and blew up the back half of the table behind and to the left of her. The shockwave still slammed into her like the impact of a giant fist though, pitching her forward onto her face.

Seemore cursed again, but all his injuries just made him mad enough so that he switched back to his Impact setting. He'd get the drop on her and let loose at point blank range with a charged up shot, shattering all her ribs and turning her inner organs into pulp. Who cared on the method, as long as she was dead.

Dazed, Angela looked up at Seemore charged at her.

Her eyes flicked around.

"See you later!" Seemore yelled as he closed in.

And Angela threw herself up and to the right, putting all her strength and weight on one end of the old wooden bench, shoving down as hard as she could…

As the other end swung up into the air.

With its deadly addition.

CHO-KLURCK!

Seemore stopped dead in his tracks.

The bench fell back down with a crash, the soft wood unable to hold the crowbar that Angela had driven into it now that it had found a firmer perch: right between Seemore's eye, the sharp end driven right through the machinery and into his head.

Blood began to pour out from beneath the helmet, as Seemore's body stood there as if frozen, tiny noises coming from his mouth, even as he somehow moved, lurching around just a bit, blind…

And never seeing Angela as she came up next to him, her guitar once again in her hands and a supreme look of triumph on her face.

"Bullseye."

And she swung the guitar into him, smashing it to bits and driving the point in deeper, as it cracked out the back of his helmet.

Seemore jerked once and fell to the ground, moving no more as blood pooled around him.

"You should have just been a good boy, weirdo." Angela said, looking down at the dead body.

And looking up to see Flay, standing about fifteen feet away, his face awash in shock.

"…You…you…" Flay said, unable to believe what he had just witnessed, walking in just as poor Seemore had been impaled through the head by the very weapon he had created, by this…this woman…this DEMON…

The triumph quickly faded from Angela's face, replaced by more rage.

"Of course. There's always more then one. You can't fornicate by yourself after all!" Angela said, as she tossed away her wrecked guitar. "Well, it doesn't matter. Camp or not, this place needs to be cleaned up, and I'm all for it!"

Angela reached down and yanked the pointed crowbar out of Seemore's head with a disgusting sucking sound, wiping the blood off it as she glared up at Flay.

"But don't blame me! It's your fault! All you have to do is be good! Be good! Not bad! But you're ALL bad! So you all have to GO!" Angela screamed, as she charged at Flay, whatever intellect and reasoning she normally utilized washed away in the flood of her madness.

As Flay's face hardened.

"DIE!"

Flay brought a hand to his belt.

Angela closed in.

The movement was a blur, punctuated by a buzzing crack that sounded like a gunshot.

As Flay reappeared behind Angela, kneeling down, his arm out…as his energy whip coiled back down to the ground.

Angela stood still for a moment, and then turned around even as Flay did, his face hard.

"What did…you…" She whispered.

And then a line appeared on her face, a red line that started at her upper left temple and ended to the right of her jaw.

A line that opened up.

And then ceased to exist, as Angela's head fell off, her body following, the skull split diagonally.

The ultimate whip trick.

"An eye for an eye." Flay said coldly, and put his whip back in his belt.

Though he knew it was pointless, Flay went over to Seemore and felt for a pulse. He found none, which didn't surprise him in the least. Sadness filled him: Seemore hadn't been a close friend but he'd been a teammate, and seemed like a decent fellow.

"…Sorry Seymore." Flay said (what, you're surprised that's his name?). "…Sorry."

Flay could think of nothing else to say, as he stood up. He started to glare back at the body of the madwoman who had killed Seemore…

"And as for you…" Flay began.

And stopped.

Her body was fading, disappearing like it was being erased from the world. Flay's jaw dropped as he watched: it wasn't exactly expected for bodies to do that.

Within seconds she was gone, as if she'd never been there. Only Seemore's body remained, a victim of her handiwork.

"…Ok…that's messed up. Big time." Flay said. He pondered if he should cover Seemore's body or just leave it and head back to report on what he had found during his scouting trip.

In the end he decided he had better go report back. Before he convinced himself what he had seen hadn't really happened.

He started forward, walking carefully, as if he expected the woman's body, with its new upper 'design' as one might say, to suddenly rear out of nowhere and put him down next to Seemore.

Then again that was ludicr…

Movement on his right!

Flay's whip gashed a line in the wall and Mittens must have jumped nearly five feet in shock. Flay yanked his whip back, grimacing: it was Selinda's cat. Only his insane reflexes had saved Mittens from joining Snowball I-III in cat heaven.

Though Mittens didn't seem all too grateful for Flay's immense skill. He hissed at the whipmaster and then turned around and walked off, his tail up and his butt waggling as if he was taunting the teen.

"…Right…" Flay said, as he deactivated the energy and began putting the parts away as he continued walking. "Man, this place is going to hell…"

Even in his state of mind, Flay had no idea just how accurate he was.

_To Be Continued_


	4. Hilarity

Part 4: 'Hilarity'

Writer's Note: Special guest appearance by my good friend Bobcat. You can probably guess what section he wrote.

"What do you mean, Seemore's dead?" Gizmo blurted out.

"I mean he's dead. As in not alive any more." Flay said quietly. He seemed to have found something immensely fascinating about the floor, because he couldn't seem to stop studying it.

"Dead." Rocko repeated, as if the concept needed absolute clarification.

"Yes. DEAD." Flay said through gritted teeth.

"Dead! Deceased! Passed on! No more! Ceased to be!" Buzz Bomb suddenly blurted out, the muscles around his right eye twitching. "Expired! Gone to meet his maker! A late man! A stiff! Bereft of life! Resting in peace! Pushing up the daisies! Hopped the twig! Kicked the bucket! Shuffled off this mortal coil! Rung down the curtain! Joined the bleeding choir invisible…!"

A metal coil suddenly wrapped around Buzz Bomb's neck and jerked him backwards as Flense grabbed him with his apparatus and slammed Buzz Bomb against the wall, even as another metal tentacle snapped out a blade in front of Buzz Bomb's eye.

"Stop jabbering or I'll add you to that invisible choir…!" Flense snapped.

A rock hand came down on his shoulder.

"Enough. No fighting amongst ourselves." Rocko said. Flense glanced up at Rocko, and then let Buzz Bomb go, as the bee-armored and seemingly not very mentally stable teen scrambled away from the robotics wielding teen.

"So Seemore's dead. Big fucking whoop." Sabotage said where he was leaning against the wall.

"He was our teammate you asshole." Nightwalker said.

"And he was weak enough to be killed by some psycho mystery woman. If you're not tough in this life, you die. Simple as that. And trust me kid, I plan on showing you that exact lesson in great detail." Sabotage said, his eyes narrowing towards Nightwalker.

"Don't think you can…" Nightwalker snapped back as he raised one of his gauntlets.

"I said ENOUGH." Rocko said, stomping between the two of them. "Both of you are missing the point anyway. That Seemore's death raises the exact question of what's going on."

"I thought we thought it was either a hero attack or some overela…elabor…Labrador retriever, uh, too fancy scheme of Blood's to test us." Flense said.

"No…no that isn't it. It's something else." Flay said. "Something bad."

"I agree. Blood was nasty but he wouldn't wholesale slaughter his own drones to try and test us." Gizmo said.

"Sir, ma'am, may this soldier ask Flay a question, sir/ma'am?" Private Hive piped up.

"I told you to knock that off Leonard." Rocko said.

"Uh sorry sir! Ma'am! I mean…"

"Just ask him the question."

"Simon, this woman you say killed Seymore…do you think she was who killed our fellow soldiers back in the hallway?"

"…What?" Flay said.

"Could she be…"

"I heard the question Leonard. But I can't believe you asked it."

"Why?"

"Weren't you paying attention snothead? That woman killed Seemore by trickery. From the body of the Hive guard Flay also saw, it looked like she surprised him as well. Whatever killed those poor snots back in the hallway wasn't a sneak clever psycho. It was something larger…more powerful…more savage…" Gizmo said, his voice dropping off a bit, as if a thought occurring to him was distracting him.

"One thing that keeps nagging at me though: the girl looked familiar. I'd SEEN her somewhere, maybe just once, and I…I don't know. But I saw her SOMEWHERE." Flay said. "Argh, it keeps escaping me, like when you can't remember the name of an actor in a movie…"

The look that had been in Gizmo's eyes suddenly covered his whole face. Apparently, he'd had a small sort of epiphany. At the time though, nobody noticed.

"Familiar women and mutilated bodies are one though, but even a pack of psycho killers doesn't explain what the hell happened to that hallway." Nightwalker added.

"And quite frankly we'd be fucking morons to hang around and find out." Flense said. "Let's resume our escape, shall we?"

"Hold on sirs." One of the nameless Hive guards said. "We just sent a fair amount of our number ahead to check the other hallway Flay didn't scout. We can't just leave them sirs, not with what's happening…"

"Really? Then you say here and say hello to whatever is stalking around in this fucking dump. I am out of here. Anyone who wants to hang around with these worthless drones…" Sabotage snapped.

"Hey asshole! I've lost friends to whatever is happening here!" Another hive drone yelled.

"Oh really. You forgot to provide the part where I give a fuck." Sabotage replied.

The Hive drove decided to make Sabotage care by going for his gun.

Wrong choice.

As the Hive guard cocked back the hammer on the automatic, it proceeded to snap off.

And that wasn't the end, as Sabotage apparently sent another surge of his probability altering power at the guard, which caused some kind of failure in the gun that resulted in it blowing up in the drone's hand. So to speak: the hammer snapping off had caused the drone's to lose his grip, so the gun had actually just slipped out of his hand and probably saved the guard from serious injury. It still burned though, as the drone yelled and recoiled, clutching his injured hand.

More guns came out.

"I wouldn't." Sabotage said, and smiled nastily.

"Cord…" Rocko said.

"Stay out of this bitch. It isn't your business." Sabotage said. "Go ahead. Make my day."

The guns only stayed on him for two more seconds before they lowered.

"Exactly." Sabotage said. "Now you guys can all go to hell as far as I'm concerned. I'm blowing this popsicle stand." Sabotage said.

"Awwwwww, leaving so soon?"

The voice came out of nowhere. Literally. Which didn't exactly help the jangled nerves of the HIVE refugees, as they glanced around nervously, trying to discover the source.

Flense whispered, "Anyone hear where that came from?"

Buzz Bomb shivered. "I… I never really thought anyone was REALLY out to get me… I mean sure, in a metaphorical sense, but…"

Rocko was quiet, but forceful. "SHUT IT."

"Yes'm." Buzz Bomb whimpered and was thankful that his armor had what amounted to a catheter built into it.

Sabotage looked pretty damn unhappy at the sudden change (and how it took away the fact he had been getting back in charge), though he didn't seem to have any proper words for it at the moment. Nightwalker was as stoic as usual.

"Hey there!" The voice suddenly yelled. Everyone jumped, except Private Hive, who turned and swung the shield in the direction of the voice.

And proceeded to give Flay a resounding whack on the head. Flay collapsed, not expecting the blow and hence knocked cold.

"What the…!"

"He took out Flay!"

"That was our teammate Leonard you crud'n moron!" Gizmo said.

"Oh no! Simon! Sorry!" Private Hive said.

The hallway echoed with laughter. Everyone jumped again.

Ever the soldier, Captain Hive recovered the fastest and started barking orders. "Enough! Drones, formation Omicron. Hold your fire until I say so. Everyone else bunch together. We are not gonna panic and let ourselves be split up. Someone wake Simon up! Move out."

The Drones' training took over, and all four of them moved into a circle, each covering a different direction with their guns. It was a logical formation, especially since they had situated themselves between the relative safety between Buzz Bomb and Rocko. Against most enemies, especially normal humans, it would have worked.

"Well well well. Looks like new suckers. And such disciplined suckers at that!" The voice seemed to boom from every direction so loudly that Drone Jenkins wondered whether he was being shaken badly or if his teeth were just chattering.

Another drone was sure that he saw something in the shadows. Something pale and fast. He fired a hurried shot from his weapon, the futuristic type of energy gun that Brother Blood seemed to prefer (though not many of the drones actually had them at the moment, it being a temporary base). Instead of putting it all into one shot, he switched it to pulse mode, sending a hail of tiny energy bolts into the shadows. They all missed judging by the laughter that followed, but they illuminated the mysterious figure for a second.

"Sheesh, that's why I hate you military grunts. You drill and train them to follow orders, and what happens? They panic and waste a clip of ammo on a guy who isn't there. You can help with that problem, by the by."

Gizmo was the only one in the group of HIVE students to recognize the figure, as it interrupted his attempt to wake up Flay.

"Betelgeuse?"

"Betelgeuse?" One of the drones echoed

Flense looked incredulous at said echo. "What's a Betelgeuse?"

"Well, I s-saw a movie called _Beetlejuice_… he came out if you said his name three times. That was a good one, but a little confusing. I saw on a website that his name is spelled like the star, not the title. I mean, why bother for a movie? No one's gonna see how it's spelled anyway. A book maybe, but not a movie…" The drone stuttered.

Private Hive slapped his hand across the chatty Jenkins. "Shut your trap soldier! I want better fire discipline from all four of you Drones! Everyone, we're going towards the gymnasium training room. From there it isn't too far to an emergency exit. Move out! Drones, earn those paychecks and take point!" There was some grumbling among the ranks, especially the one who was technically in charge (known as the Sarge, no surprise there) but all the drones had to yield to the commands of the H.A.E.Y.P unit and hence the grumbling was cut off by Private Hive's glare.

As the group made their way towards the gym, one of the drones whispered to Jenkins,

"So you really think you saw something out of a movie?"

"Yeah, for a sec. But he wouldn't be here 'cause he's not real, like Spider-Man."

The movie buff Drone heard a voice to his left say, "What was his name again?

"Betelgeuse."

"Wha?"

"It's Betelgeuse, Larry!"

The guard who actually was to his left said, "Uh, I didn't say anything."

Unfortunately for everybody involved, Larry had a bad tendency to whisper when he was scared. So, instead of Larry, Jenkins heard the mystery voice saying, "What are you doing dipshit, mumbling? I couldn't understand what you said."

"BETELGEUSE BETELGEUSE BETELGEUSE, YOU DEAF MORON!"

Jenkins didn't even have time to contemplate just what he'd done before the top half of him exploded, revealing a gray skinned man in a black and white pinstripe suit. His filthy teeth were exposed by a manic grin. "Man, getting summoned just gets easier and easier." Betelgeuse removed himself from Jenkins' lower half like it was a pair of ill-fitting pants. "Or else you mortals just keep getting dumber and dumber."

"What the FUCK!" Flense yelled, goggling at the creature that had so suddenly and messily appeared. His expression of surprise was shared by everyone…except Gizmo, still crouched by Flay's body as he tried to revive him. For some reason, he seemed a little less surprised.

Little being the key word.

"Holy CRUD! IT IS YOU!" Gizmo yelled.

"Well at least one of you ain't so dumb. Good thing: that head would make an awful ringing if it was hollow." Betelgeuse chuckled.

"Check this out for dumb, spleezeball!" Gizmo said, and immediately started chanting, "Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Bemph!"

As the boy genius was about to utter the rest of the unsummoning spell, his mouth simply disappeared. It hadn't been sealed shut… his skull had simply been rearranged to do without.

Betelgeuse laughed. "What kid, did ya really think it'd be THAT easy?"

* * *

A triumph: Jinx had made it back to her room without anyone seeing her. Of course, once she'd gotten there there'd been a new problem. At least it didn't involve psycho killers who put Harry Houdini to shame.

As mentioned before, Jinx's body had gone through some changes, and as a result, so had her costume: nothing drastic but noticeable. Her small platform shoes had been taken away and replaced with large, knee high 'Goth-Boots' for one (She had made a special order for a boot manufacturer to make her these boots for Christmas, but they had seemed a size too big, until she had 'finished growing up' as it was, then they seemed to fit just fine, though it may have been due to her stockings). With her body change she had found herself ripping all her old striped tights, and hence she bought some high thigh stockings. They weren't the same but they would do for now until she could go to the Hero/Villain store and buy more (Yes there was such a store; they did custom costumes for masked patrons. The store was a safehouse for both heroes and villains as neither was allowed to attack the other or they would not be allowed their equipment. They didn't sell everything: things like doomsday machines or PDEM's, which would be the ultimate weapons in both arsenals, were unavailable, but things like custom communicators were. She remembered Gizmo had told her, amongst all the shouts of 'snot' and 'crud', that he had seen Robin of the Titans down at the store on the odd occasion).

The rest of her costume had remained the same, or rather in the same vein; she had made a few alterations. In the constant battles with the Titans, the purple markings on the black part of her dress had a bad habit of coming off, or the buttons snapping off, so she had taken what was left of her dresses and had them altered (while she was pretty incompetent at that kind of stuff, Scorcher seemed willing to help as according to her she went through a similar thing when she was younger. If Scorcher hadn't been a teacher, she'd have made a good seamstress). Her costume now had no buttons or markings on the front (which it'd once had: they'd been concealed), as it was now made to just slip over the head, though there was a small collection of strings on the back to gather the excess material, much like a corset but not so tight. Also, to protect what dignity she had left, she had been forced to remove the cloth on the shoulders so that her shoulders and collarbones were exposed and the purple cloth flared out to the side a little bit before sloping down. What dignity what she protecting then? The dignity she would risk losing if she hadn't because with her new larger form, her old costume style had a habit of riding up and exposing her lower half, and she really didn't want that, especially with people like Hermes about. (She should have called himself Hentai, for all his perversion).

But we've gotten sidetracked again.

The problem was, the only dress she could access had been in the suitcase, the suitcase the Santa wacko had hit with his axe. As a result, her dress now sported a long rip up one side, showing off the top of her stocking and the strap from the garter belt that was holding it up. But she could live with that, as she swiftly dressed, put up her hair (it was force of habit), and left her room to find out what the heck was going on.

At least her headache had faded.

But of course we had a new problem, once again due to body changes. Jinx had been hoping the increase in the size of her thighs would also make running a little easier, as she dashed along the hallway, past where she had killed the nutcase, and turning down the way Seemore had come from before he'd gone to his doom. But no such luck there. While her hips and thighs were now large because of bone structure rather than fat (unlike, say, Sophie Mathews), it didn't mean they were filled with muscle either, and hence with all the running, she found herself stopping to catch her breath.

"Gotta stop drinking beer... Next year… Some when." She gasped, slowing down her breathing. She did a stretch or three to limber up and continue running.

She did that for a while.

And she was continually struck at how empty the Hive was. That had been a blessing while she was nude, but it was a curse now as she wanted to know what the heck was going on. But the whole place seemed deserted. It was like a damn horror movie.

Heck, considering what had happened, it was a damn horror movie (though Jinx had no idea how right she was), because it seemed that she had been picked to be the damn fan service.

There are several archetypes in horror movies: The lead male, the one who usually survives but sometimes doesn't, who is generally charismatic. The lead female, sometimes perky, sometimes upbeat, and in the history of horror movies has more chance of surviving than the men. The comedian, something rather self explanatory, someone who joked around a lot, those guys normally died early on. And then there was the fan service, some dull busty woman who would end up running around in their underwear, sometimes because they wanted to and sometimes because their clothes were 'conveniently' ripped off by a monster or object in their escape. There were others too: the innocent was usually a young person, often a teenager, who had their title because they were not very sinful in any respect that counted in those films. The jock or student, which was self-clarifying. The enforcer, which would be someone like a guard or a police officer, and finally the non-believer, who was someone who refused to acknowledge that something was happening even when the proof was in front of them. They usually found out the hard way.

And seeing as Jinx had already been chased around nude and was now wearing a dress that has conveniently ripped up one side, she had figured out what position she played in this. Hell, she'd probably be in her underwear by the end of this.

Or not. Not if she found her fellow students. People never traveled in groups in horror films, so she'd break that trend…

Faint noises were catching her ear, though she couldn't place them: the makeshift base was a mishmash of different kinds of architecture: the walls were as thin as paper in one section and virtually soundproof the next…

Of course, she had to find her friends first. And considering the way things were going, as she turned down a hallway whose ceiling was covered with old water pipes, most of which were now just there because people were too lazy to remove them, that didn't seem to have the best chance for success…

What was that noise…with the altering sound states of the base it could just be the building settling or it could be gunfire and Jinx wouldn't have a clue which one…

Hell, she'd have expected at least to run into one of the many nameless soldiers Blood employed!

There was a large door coming up to her right, but she saw no keypad: it was one way and hence impregnable to her, she'd have to keep going and hope she found another door…

Or one of her friends…

Or anyone at all…

"God damn it!" Jinx thought out loud. "WHERE IS EVERYBODY?"

The door exploded off its hinges, stopping Jinx with a scream as the huge metal door fell to the ground in front of her with a resounding crash.

No…not just the door.

She supposed it could have been one of the Hive drones once: now it was just a shattered, blackened skeleton with clumps of flesh and other unidentifiable tissues still clinging to it, a barely on arm holding a crushed gun. Whatever had hit the door had apparently hit him as well, pasting his remains to the surface of it even as the door was snapped off its moorings.

Jinx put a hand to her mouth as she looked at the ruined body.

And then she heard it.

"Hivvvvveeeeeee…"

A low, snarling growl, spitting hell and death and the sound of rending flesh and bone in her ear.

And then it stepped through the door, the massive foot coming down on the remains and squashing them flat, as Jinx backed up, her hand gripping her mouth so hard she almost broke her jaw.

It turned to look at her.

Standing roughly nine foot tall and clad entirely in black leather, the figure was massive, big enough to put Wilby to shame when he was in his transformed state, the leather covering everything except the head. If you could call it that. It was more like a grotesque play upon what a head should look like, making a hollow mockery of all that was once human. A head devoid of hair, the skin damaged, ruined, almost… lumpy. One eye was sewn shut, the skin above and below the eye stitched together, while the other stared out, a yellowish pupilless white. All the skin around its mouth had been pulled away, revealing the gums and surprisingly white teeth of such a gruesome being. Its arms were clad in the same leathery substance that covered the main body, but the right shoulder and the area around the neck was bare, showing large, tube like, purple, pulsing veins on its shoulder and back.

The right arm had a massive weapon, a rocket launcher of some sort, slung over its shoulder, currently pointing towards the ground, and as it saw Jinx, it raised its other arm and opened its palm.

For a crazy moment she thought that it was going to produce a Shimmer strand, the coils of energy that her enemy Savior wielded…but it was nothing that refined, as its palm split open, revealing a bruised purple tentacle, that almost seemed to sniff the air before sliding back into the hand.

Jinx looked at the beast's face as it let out a low, slow growl, as she finally remembered where she had seen it before.

"Hhiiivvvveeee…." It growled.

"Oh shit." Was all Jinx could reply with.

The Nemesis.

* * *

The chips were down, the shit had hit the fan, the cows weren't coming home, the farm was in danger of being sold and the cliché mill was overheating from too much use. Jenkins was dead, Larry was shell-shocked after seeing his best friend explode and turn into a zombie ghost thing, and the super villains were too stunned by what had happened to Gizmo to respond.

As far as the drone Chan was concerned, this was his time to be a hero. Even as Betelgeuse tormented the silenced Gizmo, he leveled his laser rifle at the back of the monster's head. He didn't know why everyone was obsessed with this thing's name or where it had come from, but as God was his witness he was going to deal with the zombie bastard who'd killed his teammate.

Especially since Jenkins had owed him fifty dollars.

He set the gun for full auto and pulled the trigger. Instead of the familiar report of his rifle, he felt something soft and vibrating. He glanced down at the gun and did a double take. He was trying to pull the nonexistent trigger of a black cat. The cat purred harder as Chan dropped it and reached for his belt. The cat walked around him in a lazy circle before running off into the darkness.

Betelgeuse shot him that goddamned annoying grin. "Man, you guys are slow in the head. I mean, you live in the same friggin' place as Superman and you actually bother to use a gun on somebody with superpowers?"

Still determined to kill Betelgeuse, Chan wrapped his hand around one of his fragmentation grenades he kept at his side. "Oh shut up. I'm sick of you goddamn metahumans and your shit. You think you're so damned clever 'cause you made a black cat on Halloween and now you're gonna make some lame joke about bad luck."

Betelgeuse never stopped grinning. "What, a cat isn't bad luck?"

"Hell no! That's just a superstition!"

"Then explain why you grabbed the blowfish on your belt instead of the grenade."

Chan didn't have the time to ask "What blowfish?" before the burning started to travel up his arm and he fell to the ground. He had the misfortune to land face first on the expanding former grenade and his fellows were spared a scream of pain as the poison made his throat swell shut.

Flense was backing up, having no idea what to do.

Then movement near him startled him, and he lashed out. He only succeeding in scaring the hell out of Mittens, who had wandered in to look at the noise and again found himself nearly being killed: apparently he hadn't learned from Flay. Even as the kitten ran away again, Flense felt an arm going around his shoulder.

"Eh, anyone who hates kittens and good fashion can't be all bad." Betelgeuse commented, suddenly standing next to Flense with his arm around the teen like he was his best buddy. The student recoiled with horror, and then Flense rolled out of the zombie's grip and ordered his tendrils to form into a blade. One swipe later and Betelgeuse was minus a head. For a moment, he was surprised that he had just killed a man who had laughed off the Drones' weapons.

Then he realized that he hadn't decapitated Betelgeuse; he had killed a Drone wearing a suit just like Betelgeuse's. Larry. How the drone's uniform had transformed into the striped suit was a mystery, but it had done so.

"…Aw no." Flense said, his voice strangely poignant. It didn't last.

"Great Caesar's Toast!" The last living drone, known among the group as the Sarge, was instantly in Flense's face. "What in the name of Gibbley Giblets did you think you were doing?" Flense found himself facing down the business end of the drone's shotgun. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blast off your face right here and now!"

Before Flense could tell Sarge to go screw himself, Private Hive laid a hand on the Sarge's shoulder. "Stand down, soldier. That dead bastard pulled a trick on us. It's not Flense's fault."

"But it's obvious! The enemy has obviously used some kind of sinister brainwashing ray on Flense! What other reason could there be?"

The Private answered, "Flense screwed up. How's that for a reason?" Hive shot Flense a slightly annoyed glare, as though he was struggling between the knowledge that it wasn't Flense's fault, but fighting down his deep-down devotion to his subordinates. "Now put that gun down."

Sarge paused. "I find myself torn. On the one hand, I am being directly ordered by a superior officer to not blow your face off. On the other hand, if I don't, then this snot nosed metahuman freak is gonna have a bigger body count than me! And that just won't do!"

As Sarge pondered his options, Gizmo and Buzz Bomb were both running around in panicky circles. The former because his mouth was gone, the latter because… well, that's what he did. Nightwalker was trying to find something to shoot, while Rocko was trying to…find something to punch, pretty much ignoring the little drama as it unfolded.

As with a single motion, Private Hive relieved Sarge of his rifle and leveled it at his running teammates. "BOTH OF YOU STOP IT RIGHT NOW OR ELSE I'LL SHOOT YOU!"

The pair paused.

"Hey, why am I afraid? My armor's bulletproof!" Buzz Bomb said.

"Because if you don't then I'll kick your ass, and we both know I can do it."

Buzz Bomb whimpered, "I'll be good."

Hive felt an ice cold hand trace along his back. "Well well, aren't you large and in charge."

It took Private Hive a lot of self-control to stop from spinning around and blasting the teammate he knew Betelgeuse had maneuvered behind him. "All right, you've proven that you can attack us at will without any danger to yourself, monster. What do you want?"

Sarge cried out, "Look out, sir!" An instant later, the Drone tackled his commander out of the way and took the blade meant for Hive to the chest. At least, Hive thought it was a blade at first. Closer inspection revealed that it was a sharpened hockey stick, and Betelgeuse was wearing a matching white mask.

Private Hive was instantly at Sarge's side. "Are you okay?"

"My only regret is that I died last, so that I was forced to live through the horror of losing my entire squad." With a death rattle, Sarge gave up the ghost. Hive suddenly felt tears rise to his eyes as the enormity of the sacrifice that had been bestowed upon him.

Betelgeuse flipped the mask up and shot the somber Private Hive a sadistic grin. "Now how's that for a Hat Trick?"

"But mister Monstrous Zombie Guy who I really would like not to kill me, a hat trick is three. You killed four drones." Buzz Bomb said. The bee-man instantly found the hockeystick at his throat. "Yeah, but um, four is better! It's a baker's hat trick! Yeah, that's it! Don't kill me."

Betelgeuse snorted derisively. "Oh, I'm not going to kill you. No sport to it. After all, a coward dies a thousand times, but a brave man only once. No, I'm going to kill the bravest among you."

Rocko tackled the gloating ghoul. "Here I am you bastard!" Rocko smashed him into the wall and cocked her fist back, ready to pound him flat. Unfortunately, Betelgeuse had used a bit of dark magic to replace himself with a very, very large stick of dynamite. The resulting explosion blew Rocko through the opposite wall. Stumbling to her feet, Rocko stepped through the hole she had made, only to get flattened by a large weight with "sixteen tons" written upon it.

"Well this just keeps getting better and better." Nightwalker muttered.

Betelgeuse filed his nails and feigned boredom as he sat atop the weight that had buried Rocko. "Nope, you're not it either. You aren't brave, you're just fearless, which means you're crazy. And if I wanted to kill crazy people, I wouldn't have bothered to travel to an alternate dimension to do it. Plenty of them back home. No, I want the Captain America ripoff."

Private Hive was on the verge of tears. He was hopelessly outmatched, and four of his soldiers had died, one of them to save him. He knew that the rest of the Hive students didn't care. As far as they were concerned, four red shirted cannon fodder troops had just died, and little more. But Hive remembered what Brother Blood had told him during his training.

_"You have no real powers of your own. I recruited you because you have all the qualities of a good commander. In simulations, you have no problem putting your men in hazardous situations and getting them out alive. None of the others can do this; they treat the Drones as little more than shields. You on the other hand care about them. In any battle with Drones present, you are in charge. I trust that none of them will die needlessly."_

Private Hive snarled and faced Betelgeuse. "Why target me?"

"I don't like people who think that they're in charge of something chaotic. You think you can control soldiers in battle like it was a friggin' computer game. Well, I just proved that you're imperfect. I know your mind. I've read it cover to cover." He chuckled to himself. "Of course, I couldn't do that back home. But hell, this place is just lousy with magical energy I can tap into." Betegeuse shot Gizmo a sideways look. "Speaking of which, someone should wipe out your brain with soap. Or at least give you a thesaurus; you're getting really repetitive really fast. Go ahead, have your mouth back." Reality responded to his whim, and Gizmo was a whole… well, more like half man again.

The boy genius was too busy breathing again to think about trying to unsummon their tormentor again. _Besides,_ _he already "unmouthed" me. I'm not gonna try anything else that'll make him mad. _

With that done, Betelgeuse turned back to Hive, who suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. He wondered if it was a heart attack, but concluded that it was grief and rage. He charged Betelgeuse and roared his frustration. "I am in control! I can rip you apart myself if I have to! I have CONTROL!"

Betelgeuse grabbed him by the throat, stopping him instantly. "You stupid little puppet. None of you can do anything to me."

"Oh really?" Sabotage said, as he appeared next to Betelgeuse. "I'm afraid you're wrong. You've fucked up the wimps enough, time to die. And that's what's gonna happen when I rework probability so that your powers turn on you." Sabotage said as if it was easy, though his thoughts betrayed otherwise. _It's gonna be a strain, but if I try hard enough…_

"I am rubber, you are glue, whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you."

Sabotage collapsed instantly as probability started doing a number on him. For an instant, his pancreas was a vase filled with petunias. The next his hair was made out of the abstract concept of not having hair, which hurt his brain at least as much as it did his scalp. For more than twenty seconds this went on until finally he fell unconscious and lay there shivering. Fortunately, he was fully himself again.

Hive choked, "How… but his powers can't do that…"

"Not normally, but I turned 'em up really high. Don't worry, he's fine. Though if you morons survive this, have him get that lump on his left kidney looked at."

"…Attack! Attack you cowards! If he's just gonna keep picking us off one by one like this, you aren't any better off hiding from him!" Private Hive shouted. Only Flense seemed to see the logic in this: Gizmo was keeping out of it, Buzz Bomb was still running in circles, Rocko was trying to shove the weight off herself, Flay was still out cold, and Nightwalker had vanished, which wasn't hard due to the poor lighting of the wide hallway. That just left him, and lashed out with his tendrils. They seemed to work, cutting Betelgeuse into bits. Most of him hit the ground instantly. Unfortunately for Hive, the arms remained where they were, floating in space and holding him off the ground.

"How the hell? What…you let me cut you, didn't you?" Flense said.

Betelgeuse's severed head laughed heartily, despite the lack of lungs. "Yup. Anything for a good pun. Of course, I wish I could tell a joke without going to pieces."

The assembled Hive students swore they could hear crickets.

"Heh, you think I'm gonna waste "A" material on this crowd?"

Flense snarled in rage and lashed out again, but the head zipped out of the way and swooped up to Flense's face.

"You ain't gonna get ahead THAT way!' Betelgeuse said, and headbutted Flense right between the eyes, causing him to stumble back and collapse, holding his face. Betelgeuse chuckled and then turned back to Private Hive…

And suddenly found a small round tube pressed against his head. His eyes slid over to look at Nightwalker, who had emerged once more.

"Oh look, the first to be weeded out of the _Warriors_ remake shows his face. Uh, so to speak." Betelgeuse said. "You know that won't do a damn thing."

"Maybe not, but no sense being negative." Nightwalker replied. He felt oddly brave. _Nothing quite like having no hope at all to make you feel invincible. Nothing he can do to me that's worse than what he was going to do anyway. _

"So you think you're something?"

"I think I'm a lot of things. And one thing is that I know your jokes just plain sucked."

"Oh look, a critic! Why don't you put your money where your mouth is!" Betelgeuse said. One of his disembodied hands popped of Betelgeuse's still floating arms, leaving Private Hive floating by one hand, as the hand waved at Nightwalker.

And…nothing happened. And that fact even surprised Betelgeuse.

"…You have something extremely rare there kid. A gray magic field." Betelgeuse said, sounding serious for the first time. "Where in all the realms did you get something some beings have spent aeons failing to get?"

"It's not where you go, it's who you know." Nightwalker replied. "And since your magic doesn't work, how do you know this won't work as well?" Nightwalker said, indicating his gauntlet and its possible effectiveness.

Betelgeuse chuckled, back in the game.

"You know, you all have secrets, some damn big ones, and you're one of the nominees for the biggest. With what you hide, I'd expect you to be a bit more humble. Hey Handy, illuminate the situation for the clowns left standing!"

And the hand that had failed to enchant Nightwalker flew at him, and before Nightwalker could react it was on his shoulder. Nightwalker recoiled away, trying to dislodge it, but it already had a grip, and Nightwalker realized with horror what it was trying to do.

"No!" He screamed, as the hand tore and yanked at his helmet, everyone watching as the black-clad teen stumbled down the hallway. But the hand had too good a grip, and it gave one final titanic yank…

"NO!"

The helmet clattered and rolled to the floor, and the Hive saw a flash of red hair just before Nightwalker dashed into the shadows, vanishing into the dark. Footsteps could be heard as he ran down the hall, doubly back the way they had come.

Private Hive took advantage of the halved grip to break free, using his shield to bash the arm down. The limb seemed to whimper pathetically as it ran back to its owner, who had for the most part pulled himself together. Betelgeuse screwed the arm back on as Hive charged him again. This time, he managed to hit. Unfortunately, he was bounced back. Betelgeuse's eternal grin somehow grew wider. "What part of me being rubber didn't you understand? Just give in to that feeling of hopelessness that's gnawing at your chest."

Hive attacked again, this time bringing his shield down on Betelgeuse's head like a sledgehammer. Again, it just bounced off. The pain in his chest was getting worse all the time, and he was starting to wonder if there was more than emotion behind it. As the hiding and down Hive members looked on, Private Hive hammered Betelgeuse again and again. There was absolutely no effect on him whatsoever, but Hive kept trying.

Again, the zombie laughed. "Well, you know, I really have to hand it to you. The entire time we've fought, you never gave up, and you were in control of your fear the entire time. You have a stronger mind than I thought. Congrats!"

Hive smirked as he doubled over from his exhaustion. "Heh. Looks like I was in control the whole time after all!"

"Yeah, and it annoys me. Time to cheat." Betelgeuse said, and vanished. He suddenly reappeared next to Private Hive wearing a military uniform.

"Chant along soldier! I don't know but it's been said!" Betelgeuse said, marching in place.

"I don't know but it's been said!" Private Hive chanted, unable to stop himself.

"I'm a prick that should be dead!"

"I'm a prick that should be dead!"

"Since I can't do my job thus far!"

"Since I can't do my job thus far!"

"I invoke the demon Altazar!"

"I invoke the demon AltazAHHHHHHH!" Private Hive screamed as Flense punched him in the mouth to cut him off.

"Henh, another cheater. Good thing I'm a hypocrite as well!" Betelgeuse said, and used his final act of puppetry to whack Flense down the hallway again. He landed at the feet of some very surprised returning drones.

"Well look the calvary's arriving, but too late. The spell I put on you, that summoning you did, well Altazar demands a certain tribute. Like the eating of your small intestine. By which point I'll be gone anyway. Sucker!"

"No!" Hive said, as one of the drones helped Flense up in the distance.

"Yep! So enjoy your last moments, because he's here! No wait he's not! Or maybe he is? Or maybe he's over here?" Betelgeuse said as he zipped around Private Hive, whose eyes and head darted around, trying to find if what Betelgeuse said was true, his chest pain getting truly terrible…

But he kept looking, and slowly Betelgeuse came to a stop, as if amazed.

"I'm not afraid of your damn demon! Bring him on!" Hive snapped.

"…Nothing to bring. There is no demon. I think you're the first one not to give in to that trick."

"…Hah. I told you. Only I control my mind." Private Hive said.

Betelgeuse shook his head. "No. You controlled your mind, but your body is another matter. I clogged your heart with enough bacon grease to choke a rhino five minutes ago. I'm surprised you didn't faint earlier. But since you decided to be nice and prolong the damage so much…" Betelgeuse said, and then was suddenly right in Private Hive's face. "BOO!"

That final shock was enough to induce the heart attack Betelgeuse had been angling for. With a groan and a final collapse, Private Hive was dead.

Betelgeuse summoned up a cowboy hat and put it atop his head. "Well, my work here is done. Now I'm going riding off into the sunset after a quick tour of the strip clubs this burg has to offer."

"What! You have us at your mercy! Why the snot don't you finish us off?" Gizmo found himself blurting out.

The grin faded again, and for the second time that night, Betelgeuse was completely serious. "Momma-juice always taught me to leave leftovers for people bigger and meaner than me."

Buzz Bomb whimpered, "Bigger and meaner? Than YOU?"

"What, if you don't believe me, check out the next paragraph!"

* * *

The Nemesis.

Scourge of Resident Evil, a beast that didn't die, no matter how many times you shot it with a gun, a shotgun, a magnum, a grenade launcher, a mini-gun, a rocket launcher, anything: like the song went, he got knocked down but he got up again. A creature that was so stupidly strong that he didn't die when he'd been shot with a rail cannon three times. Shrugging off being lit on fire, splashed with acid, blasted, shot, exploded, rail-cannoned and anything in between, it would chase you relentlessly. If Jinx remembered correctly from Gizmo's long rant on the subject many moons ago, which she hoped she didn't, the only thing that killed the Nemesis for good was a nuke.

And she didn't have a nuke.

Hell, she didn't even have a knife.

And in a moment she wasn't going to have a head, as the Nemesis was suddenly on her, moving far far faster then anything its size had a right to be, as it thrust out its left hand to crush Jinx's skull between its fingers.

* * *

"Nope, that's a little too big for me to handle, so I'll just be on my way and…" Betelgeuse said.

"Mr. Juice!" Came a new voice, and Betelgeuse turned around to find, much to his surprise, one of the returned drones. But far from being scared, he actually looked excited.

"My god it is you! The real deal! I love your movie! It was the best comedy film made in the last fifty years!"

"Well I don't like to brag…wait yes I do! Ha ha ha! You have taste kid! I'd kill you anyway, but as I said I'm going."

"Please, before you go, give me your autograph!"

"Ah sure why not? No sense giving that fool Keaton all the credit!" Betelgeuse said as he conjured a pen as the drone produced a piece of paper.

"Give one to my girlfriend and her sister too! They'll never believe me!"

"Sure thing! Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betel…!" Betelgeuse stopped dead as he realized what he was doing.

"Geuse!" The drone finished.

"…And here I was thinking that Mxyzptlk was just a moron." Betelgeuse said, and with a poof he was gone.

Instantly, the weight vanished off Rocko, and she got up with a lunge, as the drone let out a slow breath, not believing what he had done had worked.

"…Fuck. I thought I had some brass ones." Flense said, unable to believe what the drone had done, as the drone knelt down by Private Hive and checked for a pulse. He shook his head sadly at the result.

"…Wow. Thanks man." Gizmo said.

"…Sure. After all, not like the great HIVE could have done anything." The drone said bitterly, as he got up. Rocko strolled over, even as Sabotage began to stir.

"…Ok. What just happened?" She asked.

"You got me. I don't have a fucking clue." Flense said, even as Buzz Bomb finally collapsed from his running.

"Make the world stop spinning." He said.

"I don't know what's going on. I just work here." Another drone said, as he knelt by the still unconscious Flay as he uncorked smelling salts.

"It looked to me like the creature from the film _Beetlejuice_ just came to life and killed several of our fellows, including Leonard." The supposed autograph seeking drone said.

"But that's impossible! It's a damn movie! It's inconsee-see-sieve…impossible!" Flense snapped.

"Uh…" Gizmo muttered, and everyone turned to him.

"You have something to say Mikron?" Rocko said.

"Uh yeah…that impossible thing? Uh…it might not be so…impossible."

* * *

Escape seemed impossible as well.

But while Jinx's new body may have slowed her down a bit, it didn't mean she had forgotten all her old tricks. And while panic sometimes clouded reaction, sometimes it also provided a massive jolt just when it was needed.

As all the Nemesis got was a handful of Jinx's hair, and not a firm enough grip on it to hold her as well, as she ducked and then flipped backwards and away from the monster.

But it came after her, seemingly unencumbered by the fact that one of its arms was occupied with holding a weapon, moving at speeds she could barely believe, as Jinx frantically bounded back and forth across the hallway, using the walls where she could to stay one step away from the Nemesis, leaping and flipping and spinning and…

Getting whacked across the body with the rocket launcher as the Nemesis used it as a club, sending pain spiking through Jinx's form as she flew through the air and slammed back first into the wall. At least she didn't hit her head again though.

"Hivvvvvveeeee…" The Nemesis growled as it approached her, though for some reason it was moving slower now.

Jinx recovered fast, as she started getting up. She had to move, get some distance before the Nemesis started taking her seriously, it was her only chance…

And then she looked down the hallway she had come from and her eyes widened.

The open door she had gone through was closed now. And she doubted the same trick would work twice when it came to dealing with stubborn doors.

And the Nemesis blocked her other way.

She was trapped.

Her palms became sweaty as her mind raced with ideas and thoughts. She could feel her heartbeat speed up as her brain dumped even more adrenaline into her system, her hands shaking and her eyes darting from place to place. But even all that would be no help against the creature: even a hex blast or two would probably just make it madder. Had she escaped the clutches of that lunatic Santa only to be killed now, by a creature with no values at all, just an unadulterated need for senseless violence and destruction, a need to make people suffer because that is what it was told to do?

It seemed like her only fate. She couldn't go through the door she'd come in from, and there was nothing in front of her except hulking monster and ceiling pipe…

Wait…

The tentacle began to emerge from the palm again as the Nemesis approached.

It'd be risky, but she had no choice.

Despite a lack of expression, the Nemesis was clearly surprised when Jinx got up and charged at him, but that didn't slow his reflexes an iota, as he raised his arm and lunged for Jinx…

Who broke to her right at the last second, ran up against and up the wall before leaping off it and actually landing on the Nemesis' outstretched arm before she leapt off immediately, grabbing a pipe just above the creature and swinging over its head as she flung herself forward, flipping and landing on her feet and taking off at a full sprint.

In the tight corridor, the Nemesis had some trouble turning around, and as a result Jinx got several precious seconds to make distance between the two of them before the creature was once again facing her, growling.

"Hive!"

And then it swung up its rocket launcher.

Which Jinx happened to see because she had chosen that time to glance behind her. Her eyes bulged: it was going to shoot at her!

…It was going to fire a rocket…

The Nemesis pulled the trigger.

And Jinx leapt, spun, and fired a hex blast.

The rocket took about ¾ of a second to fully ignite and blast out of its tube…which allowed the hex blast to meet the rocket just as it emerged.

Bad luck.

The rocket blew up in the Nemesis's face, and it bellowed as the fire and shrapnel slammed into it. A piece ricocheted off the wall next to Jinx in a brief burst of sparks, drawing a brief shriek from her, as the Nemesis reeled, purple blood spraying from a neck wound, the massive creature going down on one knee as the liquid exploded from the injury…

And then slowed…

"Hiveeeeeeeee…" The creature hissed, and Jinx realized it was already healing up, the blood flow already stopping, and within a second or two it'd be on her again…

Jinx looked up and fired several hex blasts into the ceiling at two different places, and then turned and ran for it as the ceiling exploded and rained down debris in the hallway, debris the Nemesis would have to circumvent. That should buy her a few more seconds…hopefully, as she turned and ran down the hallway.

"HIVVVVVVEEEEE!"

Heavy footfalls sounded behind her. It was already back up and in the hunt.

Jinx ran around the corner…and nearly stopped as she saw there was another door in front of her, also closed.

And there was a great racket behind her, as the Nemesis began to tear through her makeshift barriers.

Well, time was a-wasting, and she'd be wasted if she kept wasting, so to speak, as Jinx ran up to the keypad and began punching in the code, hoping, praying…

And with a ping, the door opened.

Jinx could only stare a second in disbelief. She had not expected that.

But it looked like good fortune was back with her, as she ran through the door and hit the button on the other side to close it…

Which didn't work.

Jinx stopped, and then whirled around as she hit the button again. The door stayed open. Sweat sprang on Jinx's brow once more. With the door open and the creature's speed, it would easily catch up to her, and she knew it was gonna be pissed. The door was at least a foot of steel and titanium: she had to close it to buy the time she needed

So she rapidly hammered on the button, even as the racket in the hallway grew louder. The door refused to budge.

Jinx tried putting in other codes in an attempt to get it to sense a security threat and close. Still nothing.

"…Oh you bastarrrdddd!" Jinx half hissed and half screamed as she realized that fate wasn't on her side. It was just playing a really nasty prank.

An explosion tore through the junction, and Jinx's eyes snapped away from the keypad as heavy foot treads resumed.

"Hivvvvvveeeeeee…!"

The Nemesis appeared around the corner and sprinted for Jinx as she frantically hit the keypad, begging it to work, the monster impossibly fast, closing the distance, not going to let her escape again…

And Jinx lost her temper, as her eyes glowed bright pink.

"OH FUCK YOU!" Jinx screamed, and slapped the whole panel.

Which sparked, coursed briefly with pink energy, and then as Jinx watched in amazement, closed the door, cutting off the Nemesis from its prey.

Jinx stared a second more, and then went weak kneed with relief and turned around, leaning her back against the door. She could rest a few seconds. It would take the creature some time to load another rocket, and even it…

The Nemesis' hand crashed through the door roughly four inches away from Jinx's head. Jinx screamed as the tentacle uncoiled and went for her, but it just got a few hair strands as Jinx shoved off the door and ran like hell, even as the Nemesis continued to hammer away at it with unholy strength.

Jinx ran around the corner, throwing a glance back, and then turning back to face…

And ran into someone.

Someone who had her face.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"WHOA!" Nightwalker yelled, as he recoiled from the impact of Jinx running full tilt into his arms, her reflection caught in a new helmet. Evidently he'd had another one stashed somewhere, maybe his room. "Where's the fire?"

"Worse then a fire!" Jinx yelled.

"What?"

"Just run!"

Another loud crash sounded through the hallway.

"What's going on? I heard a ton of noise…"

"JUST RUN!" Jinx yelled as she shoved past Nightwalker and resumed her sprint. Nightwalker, to his credit, fell into step beside her.

"We have trouble?" He asked.

"Big trouble!"

"How big?"

A resounding crash rang through the hallway as the door gave way.

"Hivvvvveeee!"

"I'd say about nine feet and eight hundred pounds!" Jinx yelled, as Nightwalker turned to look…

And the Nemesis ran around the corner.

"HOLY…!"

"Nothing holy about it!" Jinx yelled, as they ran around the corner…and found another locked door. "AH FUCK!"

"You code, I'll hold." Nightwalker said, as he stopped and headed back around the corner.

"Hivvvvveeeeee…" The Nemesis growled, walking again for some reason as it headed up the hallway.

"No! You won't stand a chance!" Jinx yelled.

"I'll be the judge of that." Nightwalker said, as he raised both arms. His gauntlets snapped open.

"It shrugs off guns!" Jinx yelled, even as she frantically typed in codes for the door. Of course, this one wasn't obliging her.

"Guns are for pussies." Nightwalker replied.

And then he aimed and opened fire.

Small round orbs, almost like old ball style bullets used in muskets, began flying from the gauntlets. Except these orbs, instead of soft metal, were composed of an immensely hard polymer compound. And they were fired at a speed about 42 times faster then a musket.

And there was a lot more then one.

They slammed into the Nemesis, and he briefly halted under the storm of powerful strikes, a wrecking ball in each tiny blow, recoiling as they peppered his face, chest, and arms, keeping him from aiming his rocket launcher, actually driving him back a bit…

And then Nightwalker's gauntlets stopped firing, emitting only dry clicks.

The Nemesis stopped its backing up as the assault did, as Nightwalker lowered his arms to check the damage.

Which was…not much.

"WHAT? That would have reduced a tank to swiss cheese!" Nightwalker cursed.

"You'll have to do better then that!" Jinx yelled as she continued to struggle with the door.

Empty clips similar to the ones found in guns ejected from Nightwalker's gauntlets.

"HIVE!" The Nemesis bellowed.

"Right right we heard you." Nightwalker said he reached for his belt.

The rocket launcher was coming up again.

Nightwalker removed a new clip and slammed it into his right gauntlet.

The black barrel seemed to stare ominously at the black-clad teen.

"Well if you talk the talk…" Nightwalker said, as the computer screens behind his helmet lined up his target and locked on.

"HIVE!"

"Walk the walk!"

And Nightwalker fired, three times. And these weren't striking orbs. These were explosive.

All of which slammed into the creature's right knee, blowing the leg to hell and causing the Nemesis to lose his balance and fall forward…

Just as his rocket fired.

Nightwalker dove back into the hallway Jinx was in as the rocket hit the floor in front of the Nemesis and exploded, blasting flames around the corner and making Jinx jump.

As Nightwalker hit the ground, rolled over, and sprang to his feet next to Jinx.

"I bought us a few seconds. How's your end coming up?"

"It isn't! No matter what I do! This damn door is locked!" Jinx yelled.

Nightwalker raised one arm and fired a single orb into the control panel. It sparked and then the door opened.

"Unlocked." Nightwalker said, and headed through it. Jinx stared for a bit. She'd never even seen him reload.

Then she followed after him, as Nightwalker aimed behind him and shot the panel on the other side of the door, causing it to close again.

"How did you know that would work?" Jinx asked as the two lightly sprinted away from the door, knowing it probably wouldn't hold.

"I didn't." Nightwalker replied. "Necessity is the mother of invention."

A brief pause.

"That was the Nemesis."

"Yes." Jinx said.

"From the video game Resident Evil 3."

"Yes."

"…Mind telling me how the hell he got here, especially considering he DOESN'T EXIST and all?" Nightwalker said, leaving out the fact he'd just gotten a lesson in things not existing existing anyway.

"Hey if I knew the answer to that I'd be considerably happier." Jinx replied. Perhaps sensing that Jinx was as much in the dark as him, Nightwalker did not reply as they ran on, hopefully away from the Nemesis.

Of course, the logic the two weren't consciously considering but following nonetheless, as the pair ran around a corner and started down another corridor, wasn't exactly the soundest or the sanest, at least in technical terms. They were hoping that the 'four door' or the 'save room' rule came in to play. Those were two rules in the video game the Nemesis came from, the former being that when you crossed a certain number of thresholds the Nemesis would stop following you. That was good for the short term; the problem was he would eventually turn up again out of the blue and cut you off. The latter rule was for any room with a typewriter and a storage chest in it was a 'safe room', no monster was able to break into it and it was a room in which you were perfectly safe.

Though…

Something briefly crossed Nightwalker's synapses, but it was extremely fleeting and gone almost immediately. And since he was busy running in the physical sense, he didn't have time to pursue in the metaphysical sense: he was sure he'd remember it later.

Not to mention another more immediate problem was heading their way, as the two came across the next door. The pair slid to a halt as Jinx waited for Nightwalker to fire and was quite surprised when he didn't.

"What are you doing? Get this thing open!" Jinx snapped, looking over her shoulders, expecting the monster to be right on their heels.

"I can't blast it, it's already been destroyed!" Nightwalker shot back, looking at the shattered pad. Jinx started to panic: her conscious brain was still swamped in adrenaline and she wasn't sure what the hell was happening anymore, in ANY aspect; all she wanted to do was run. It didn't matter that her legs muscles were starting to rise up in rebellion and taking her arms with it in the revolution against her brain, she needed to keep running.

And then a roar, faint but noticeable, echoed down the corridor.

"Well…you'd better find a way to open it and fast!" Was all Jinx could say. Another roar emanated from down the corridor: it WAS still on their heels.

Nightwalker looked back at the pad, hoping to high hell he could do something. But while he was good at 'impromptu' hacking, the problem was that only worked once, and if all the buttons were already broken then…

Then it struck him, the one button out of all of them that was still there was the 'open' button, the button you pressed after the code was imputed.

Brainstorm. Or maybe madness brought on by desperation: maybe that would work!

Nightwalker pressed it and the door slid open sharply.

"Well, I'll be damned." Nightwalker said.

"You can damn yourself all you want, I'm out of here!" Jinx said as she ran through the door. Nightwalker blinked (well, behind the helmet) and then followed: their luck seemed to be changing.

Or they were being set up. One of the two.

The door shut again just as they entered, allowing Jinx some breathing room as the two inspected the area. They were in a classroom, one of the several that had been created or added on too to allow for the new influx of pupils, both adult and teenaged, in the abandoned building. Curved tables lined the room like a lecture hall rather than a normal classroom, the chairs sitting under them at awkward angles or lying on the floor. It was obviously a room in which all the students had a habit of running as fast as they could to either get to their next lecture or to their lunch break. It was one of the classrooms linked to the training areas, or one training area anyway (the rest were connected via hallways), Nightwalker recalled.

What was surprising, amongst all the discord of the messy room there was soft piano music that floated through the air. It wasn't perfect: whatever was playing it was emitting a faint scratchy noise, but it was still there nonetheless. The two traced the source of the music to the desk down in front of the rows and rows of seats.

On which someone was lying on. Someone with leaf green skin and pink hair.

And behind the desk sat a young woman with a reddish/orange complexion and hair of fire. Scorcher.

"…Aw no." Nightwalker said, guessing what had gone down.

After Scorcher had melted a fair chunk of the building, she had escaped the scene of the carnage that both she and others had wrought and hidden, taking the body of Floral with her so she could give the dear girl a proper funeral later. She knew a lot about proper funerals: death seemed to follow her around. Always passing her by and taking others, those she cared about, those she wanted to survive. They all seemed to die.

No matter what location or moral compass she seemed to inhabit, death was always on her tail.

And this time it looked like it'd crossed paths with her one time too many, as Scorcher had tried to hide from the madness, secreting herself away in the depths of the school, too far away from the entrances to even contemplate escape. And why would she? She didn't want to run from any threat or danger, because she was the greatest one, and no one could run from himself or herself.

Of course, Jinx and Nightwalker couldn't tell all this from just a look, but when they got close enough, they could tell she was lost in some way.

An old hi-fi was hooked up to the speaker system in the classroom for when they had TV demonstrations. It was what was emitting the music.

"Scorcher! Thank god! We got to get out of here!" Jinx said, glad that she'd run into someone with Scorcher's level of power…and alarmed when she got no reply.

"Danielle?" Jinx asked, trying to get some sort of response.

"Jinx?" Nightwalker said to her, as he looked over the very still body of the now deceased Rose Trent. Somehow Jinx had managed to keep from getting a clear look at this, probably due to all her looking over her shoulder, but she saw it now, as she jumped back in surprise, holding her mouth again, thinking she might be sick from what she was seeing. The blown apart soldier's body had been too destroyed to really make out any details of wounds, but Jinx could see the grievous ones on Floral's all too clearly: see right THROUGH them, right into her body, through the horrendous cuts that were everywhere on the young girl, her leafy costume cut to ribbons.

"She's dead."

The voice that spoke was harsh and cold, a voice that didn't match any of the Hive, which made the two jump thinking that it had come from something else, maybe another killer who'd snuck up behind them.

"She died at the hands of a monster… a monster…" The voice spoke, making them realize it was no one new. It was Scorcher, like they'd never heard her before. Usually she was a kind and caring soul, despite that she had been through a lot of pain and anguish, only having a few things in her life go her way, despite all that she still always sounded like she didn't have a care in the world. It truly showed when she spoke to Floral; it was as if a mother was talking to her child, a soft and soothing voice, the type that mothers have when they know they have to make it better.

But now Floral was dead, and this was what was left. A cold and flat voice, pulled down from its high perch with the weight of despair. Too much death. First it was her fiancé, then Rocko when she was a he, and now Floral.

And now Scorcher was dead, or at least her soul was. Her body lived on, propelled by its damn animal instincts to keep going. It was the only thing left: by Scorcher's voice, her mind had been shattered and even she, a woman who was described as being quite wonderful by some, couldn't likely pick them up again.

"Unfair… it's just… what makes us this fragile?" She continued. "Is it me? Am I Death? Am I the personification of such a creature? Killing those around me?"

Jinx moved to reply before Nightwalker put an arm out, shaking his head, as Scorcher lifted up a clean hand and started to rub and push it with her thumb from her other hand.

"Just… just… look at that." She offered the palm to the two before she went back to scrubbing it. "Just… can't seem to get her blood off…Just… just can't."

Jinx looked queasy. This was not a good thing.

Scorcher took a break from her 'cleaning' and stared into space again.

"Where do we come from? Why are we born like this? Like, freaks, outcasts and just… different?"

"Danielle." Jinx stated, ignoring Nightwalker's gesture and speaking as if her words could bring back her mind.

"I… I failed them…all of them… everyone's dead…I'm… I'm a murderer." Scorcher went. Her mind couldn't seem to figure itself out: it had become a knot that not even Alexander could cleave in two with a sword. She felt out of control, and yet she felt paralysed by inertia. Or rather she would have if she didn't feel numb, her whole body feeling like it had shut down, trying to hide behind a shield.

And Nightwalker seemed to recognize this, as he glanced over his shoulder again and then looked back to Scorcher.

"Danielle." He said. He didn't have time to deal with the ultra complicated issues of guilt and pain Scorcher was going through: it wasn't the time and he wasn't qualified and he himself was in danger. But still...

"Danielle. Scorcher. We have to get out of here." Nightwalker said, tying to snap the pyrokinetic out of her self-made trance.

"Why?" Scorcher replied.

"Because something bad is coming. And it'll get us if we don't run."

"Why? Why run? It's safer… It's safer in here. It's out there you have to worry about, it's when you try to run things get you."

And for a chilling moment, Jinx thought about it and realized Scorcher was right. Most of the horrors in life happened when you fought and ran: those who did nothing usually ended up alive or at least died in a pretty painless way.

"…But if we go now, we can find a way out of here!" Jinx tried one last time, again to no avail.

"No. Too late… too too late..." She mumbled, unable to cry any more tears. "The dawn of the day is lost to us… we won't see tomorrow." She stated. "Run run, as fast as you can, you won't get out says the monster man." She chuckled, though that was what disturbed them. Her brief flicker of laughter before her face returned to one of absolute desolation…

And then, much to Jinx's shock, Nightwalker stepped forward and slapped Scorcher across the face.

Jinx didn't think she could look any more shocked then Scorcher did.

"Life isn't fair." Nightwalker said. "Good people suffer and die, bad people grow fat and happy and leave peaceful lives, questions tear you apart because they have no answer, and it seems like nothing will ever change or get better. And yet people still have to, and do, find ways to keep putting one foot in front of the other."

Nightwalker pointed at Floral's corpse.

"I'm sorry she's dead, but she is. This is a sack of meat, or plants, that once held something special. Maybe it's gone now, but in another way it will never be gone, because it will always be in you. It is the greatest success of the human animal to keep going even when all seems lost and pointless. It is the greatest tragedy, and the most pointless, cowardly thing, when the human animal gives up and doesn't even bother trying to escape or fight the monster. Because life has its monsters, in many forms, and the only thing you can do by letting it come and eat you without a fight is to show you didn't even have the guts and the stones to keep on living and let her live through you. So this is my last time. We have to go. NOW."

Scorcher stared at him.

"Fine, we're going." Nightwalker said, a cold tone in his voice as he tried to drag Jinx away.

"You can try, the only place to go is where her life ended. Where justice and fairness both ended up in the beds being raped by promiscuity, perpetuity and corruption, producing nothing but a flailing mass to replace them, nothing but a mockery that will last for all time due to our human nature." Scorcher said.

"Anyone can speak words." Nightwalker replied. "Only the truly damned believe them. And it's not very often that we can truly damn ourselves."

"Those are just words themselves." Scorcher replied.

"Yeah. And I believe them." Nightwalker replied in turn.

Scorcher stared.

The music ended.

And the Nemesis made his grand reappearance, smashing down the wall and door. Some might call that overcompensation for a locked door, others would call it thinking outside the box. If the Nemesis even thought of course, which by his many actions seemed apparent that while he did do it such times were few and far between.

"HIVVVEEEE…" The Nemesis growled, heading into the room, and though it just repeated the lone word it always said, its meaning was clear: you made me chase your damn asses down and boy are you going to regret it.

A crazy thought flitted through Jinx's head: _Oh damn we should have checked for a typewriter the typewriter means it's a save room and the Nemesis can't follow you into save rooms…_

"Shit." Nightwalker said, scrambling for his belt. When he wasn't in an actual combat situation, he had a habit of removing his gauntlet 'clips' and putting them back in his belt: the clips weighed his arms down, just a bit but enough to screw him up, and as a result he tended to disarm himself when he thought he was safe.

Which led to the problem of him not BEING armed when it was needed.

Fortunately, he didn't have to be.

Scorcher had gone quiet, as she looked up and stared coldly at the Nemesis, not a whit of fear in her expression. She'd gone too far for that. When it came to the phoney tough and the crazy brave, the pyrokinetic was the latter.

Did I say pyrokinetic?

I meant something else.

Pyromaniac.

All the tables and chairs in her immediate vicinity caught fire as the two other Hive members stumbled back from the heat.

"…Well, we'd best be moving then." Nightwalker said, and grabbed the hand of Jinx and pulled, who pulled back momentarily.

"What about Danielle?" She yelled.

"She can take care of herself! We need to move, in her present mindset she'll blow us ALL up at this rate! Now come on!" Nightwalker yelled back as he gave one more tug on her arm, and Jinx, though a little reluctantly, allowed herself to be pulled.

The Nemesis didn't seem too alarmed about the sudden influx of fire, as he headed for Scorcher. Her only reaction was to turn to the silent corpse of Floral.

"Hmm? Oh, I know. They need to get out, but don't worry Hun, I'll help." She turned back to the Nemesis and scowled. "I'll help."

But how does one stand against an unstoppable creature?

Why, you find a way to stop him, of course.

Scorcher snapped a hand out as her fiery hair flared up, sending a blistering wave of flame that washed over the Nemesis's lower right side, driving him back with a growling yell.

"HIVE…" He snarled, as he stood straight up from the slight crouch the fire blast had forced him into. Apparently his outfit was made of some kind of heat resistant material, as it had remained intact, though it was smoking heavily and giving off a horrific stench. Scorcher's eyes narrowed, and fire exploded on her hand and burned white as she prepared a bigger blast.

Which flew true.

And missed, as the Nemesis somehow tapped into some kind of hyper-kinetic ability and dodged the blast. Scorcher's eyes widened as he charged in.

Nightwalker and Jinx had found themselves in the training room Nightwalker had remembered, a large areas that had been made by knocking down the walls between several classrooms. It had a variety of setups, the current one being 'Boom 101'. It was run by Scorcher, which was unsurprising as she knew how to make things explode through years of experience, and it basically amounted to a large group of barrels filled with oil, or other explosive materials. The class was about strategic use of such items.

And Nightwalker had a great idea as he stopped his run halfway through the training room.

"What?" Jinx said, stopping herself.

"Come on!" Nightwalker said as he ran towards a large stack of the barrels. "We can get a few of these around the door, if someone bad comes through we can at least give them something to think about."

Scorcher crashed into the desk on which Floral lay, knocking the body to the floor as the whole desk splintered under the impact, Scorcher flipping over the wreckage and landing on her face. Even though she'd dodged a bit, the Nemesis' backhand had still had the power to knock her back like that. But she was far too mad and out of control to let that keep her down, as she pushed herself up…

And found the Nemesis aiming his rocket launcher at her.

"HIVE!"

The rocket fired.

And Scorcher threw up a wall of flame before her.

Forgetting in her state that probably wasn't the greatest of tactics: a missile exploding near you can be just as bad as a missile exploding against you.

The projectile blew, far too close, blasting Scorcher backwards as she was peppered with shrapnel, and then she slammed up against the wall, her body heat causing her to go straight through it, making Nightwalker and Jinx jump with a shriek as they were interrupted in moving their first barrel.

"Forget this, let's go!" Jinx said as she ran for it. Nightwalker saw the shape of the Nemesis emerging from the hole Scorcher had made and agreed, running after Jinx.

"HIVE!"

Another rocket flew at Scorcher.

And she blasted herself off the ground with a fire blast, throwing herself away as the rocket exploded where she had been. She landed on her feet, and then pain flashed over her face as she clutched her stomach with one hand, dark blood seeping between her fingers. Apparently something sharp had gone in there, too deeply.

Jinx realized she was alone in her run down the corridor she and Nightwalker had fled down, and she turned to see Nightwalker standing at the entrance, aiming a gauntlet.

"What are you doing?"

"I think I can still get a shot…"

The waves of heat washed over him, making him recoil, as a haze flowed up around Scorcher, as the Nemesis walked into the room, its expression never changing but its desire all too apparent.

And Scorcher's as well.

"If you can't stand the heat..." Scorcher said, as her hair glowed white. "GET OUT OF MY CLASSROOM!"

And she slammed out her arm and sent out wave after waves of immense fire, distorting the floor with the heat as the flame slammed into the Nemesis, sending him backwards as impact after impact shoved him…

Right into the piles of barrels.

The whole stack went up in a massive blast, engulfing the Nemesis with a roaring bellow, a second sharp explosion following the first as his rocket launcher blew itself to bits from the heat, as fire washed over the entire room and send Jinx and Nightwalker sprawling on their rears near the corridor entrance.

And then it faded back down, smaller explosions going off as other barrels caught alight, the room burning around Scorcher as she looked at the inferno that had once been the Nemesis. The expression on her face was unreadable.

"…Heh." Jinx said as she got up. "Owned."

And then a loud clatter sounded from the fire.

"…No way." Jinx said.

And then a figure reared out from the flames, all afire but unmistakingly the Nemesis. The fire, smoke, and dancing shadows reduced it to a mere shape, but its voice carried over the roar.

"HIVVVVVEEEEEE!"

Scorcher just stared at the sight. The amount of heat she'd just used would have razed a skyscraper.

Well then…SHE'D JUST HAVE TO USE ENOUGH HEAT TO GIVE THE DEVIL PAUSE.

"Oh shit!" Nightwalker yelled as he realized what was happening, and he grabbed Jinx.

"Hey!"

"RUN! This is gonna be BIG! Absolutely no concern for collateral damage big!" Nightwalker yelled as he sprinted down the long hallway, Jinx at his side.

"HIVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The Nemesis bellowed, charging at Scorcher.

Her hair turned blue, the same color fire exploding on her hand.

"AYYYYYYYAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHHH!"

And as the monster closed in, she reared back and thrust her hand forward.

And the world exploded behind the fleeing not so dynamic duo. The heat was so intense Jinx felt like her backside was melting, but when she turned her head, she realized feeling was far less then what was due.

Because an ocean of flame was heading down the hallway after them, reaching out as if in eager desire to consume them. Scorcher's final attack had indeed been big.

And at the other end was Jinx's new hated enemy for life, the Locked Door.

"Nightwalker!"

"I know!" Nightwalker yelled as he clawed for a new ammo pack.

"NIGHTWALKER!"

"I KNOW!" Nightwalker screamed as he slammed it in and aimed. "OPEN SAYS ME!"

The orb flew out and slammed into the keypad.

And the door chirped as it opened up.

The two ran through.

And Nightwalker spun and fired again into the other keypad.

The door slammed shut, cutting off the fire, but not enough. The front part reached out and engulfed the two, but it was more of a shove then a burn, as the two flew from the impact and tumbled to the ground.

And as expected, ended up on top of each other. Jinx on top of Nightwalker to be specific.

"…So. Come here often?" Nightwalker asked.

Jinx hit him on the shoulder as she got up, Nightwalker kipping up to his feet.

"We have to find the others and get the hell out of here. We can figure out why and how we're fighting monsters from video games later."

"If there's anyone left." Nightwalker muttered, as he fell in step with Jinx.

* * *

"…You have to be SHITTING ME." Flense said.

"Hey, I thought it was a crudd'n mistake as well!" Gizmo snapped back.

"You must admit that it seems hard to believe. All things considered." Rocko said, as the group hurried back the way they had originally come from. After their little experience, even Sabotage had soured on looking for an exit that way. Who knew what lay behind the next locked door? So the group had gathered up all the remaining drones, the ones that had been lucky enough to be scouting when their guest had come a callin', and had gone back the way they had come. They had been forced to leave the bodies: carrying them would slow them down.

"Yeah well, I didn't believe it either. When you hide cameras all over an enemy base, you don't expect the greatest pictures. And when they all go down at once on one night, well, you tend to think maybe they've been found out and hence junk anything they send you. And I was going to. The snippets I got…for crying out loud! What was I going to say? 'I appear to have a picture of the Titans fighting an evil snowman? Oh look, here's Jason Cruddin' Voorhees walking around like he owns the place?' WOULD YOU HAVE BELIEVED THE PICTURES?"

"You did." Flay said.

"…There was something else. One of the Titans has a blog. I hacked it to monitor it. On Nov 1st I'm at the computer when he starts typing an entry, which pops up on my screen as he does it. He had been writing for about ten minutes when it stopped, and then it vanished. Apparently someone came along and told him that he probably shouldn't reveal what happened that night, so he never posted it. But I still had it. I just…couldn't believe it. I thought I had been found out and was being fed blatantly false info as a big screw you. Expect maybe…that wasn't it at all."

"Ahhhh!" Buzz Bomb said, sounding very much like Tweek from South Park and nearly getting himself killed as several of the Hive drones immediately drew down on him. "AHHHH!"

"Calm down!" Rocko said.

"Oh I'm very calm. It's you guys who I'm worried about. Hahahahha…just need my secret weapon…" Buzz Bomb babbled to himself.

"So what was the entry?" Flense asked.

"I'm just the messenger here, got it?" Gizmo said. "It said there was some kind of reaction on the night of October 30th. The security system was malfunctioning in some areas, and the Titans left it alone because they had a bunch of horror films to watch. One of the broken parts of the system was in an evidence room where they were holding some magical orb that Mumbo guy had used to steal their powers and one of Control Freak's remotes. Anyway, they were starting the films, lightning struck the tower…and something happened. It didn't tell details, but somehow…the films came to life."

Though it had been suspected, someone actually saying the words made everyone stop.

"…To life." Rocko said.

"Yeah. We're talking every famous slasher showing up to try and add the Titans to their body count. They barely survived. Like I said, I thought it had to be fake, so I deleted the file and forgot about it. Until now, anyway."

"And you think the reaction had repeated itself?" Flay said.

"NO SHIT SHERLOCK." Sabotage snarled, still humiliated from the Betelgeuse encounter. He'd just about had enough. You either took what you wanted or got taken, and Sabotage was going to start taking as soon as he saw an opening, remind every one of the fuckers he was NOT a man to be crossed…

"Well, Blood was meeting with Control Freak tonight. And there was a storm. And that was, as much as we might not want to admit it, Betelgeuse. Not Michael Keaton in makeup, not a special effect, THE REAL DEAL, with all the powers he possessed. And if he's here…who knows who else is."

The Hive had arrived back in the TV room where the whole mess had started as Gizmo finished up. The place looked unchanged…except for one thing.

The TV that had been in the center of the room was now off to the side.

It had been replaced by one of the large scarecrow decorations.

At the moment though, the Hive was too distraught to notice.

"…All right Stony! You're in charge! So what do we do?" Sabotage said.

"…Well…we do still need to escape…"

"THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING FROM THE BEGINNING! SO WHY ARE WE LISTENING TO YOU?" Sabotage yelled.

"Because anyone would be stupid to listen to you?" Rocko replied.

"HEY! BOTH OF YOU! STOP!" Gizmo yelled. "It isn't just the monsters. From what I recall, the whole ESSENCE of a horror film invaded the Tower. The clichés, the actions, everything. You're playing into its hands! It wants you to fight so we split up and so we get picked off one by one!"

"Oh please Mikron, do you naturally spew this much shit or do you have to work at it?" Sabotage replied.

"I'm in my happy place. I'm in my happy place…" Buzz Bomb was now muttering to himself.

And Flense appeared to be developing a killer headache, as he stood amongst the yelling for several seconds before his eyes, closed, snapped open.

"ENOUGH!"

Strangely, everyone fell silent.

"This…forget it!" Flense said. "What does it matter! This whole thing's fucked to high heaven!" Flense yelled, throwing up his arms. "Movies come to life! Crazy torture corridors! Godlike zombie ghosts that trick me into killing people I don't want to kill! This is absolutely fucking ridiculous and I've had it, and I want some answers! I want to know just why this happened to us, where's the exit, how do we stop it…" Flense ranted, as he walked around a bit, and then whirled. "And could SOMEONE…" He said, pointing behind him. "Please tell me who put the FUCKING SCARECROW IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM!"

Silence.

More silence.

"…No one did?" Flense said.

Everyone shook their heads.

Flense blinked.

"…Oh my."

The scarecrow suddenly sprouted a giant pair of leathery bat wings.

And Gizmo's eyes widened as he realized just what had happened, and he would have kicked himself for not realizing it before.

"CREEPER!"

And the scarecrow tore itself apart as a creature emerged, a winged beast with a hideous face in an almost contented expression.

Fresh meat.


	5. Abomination

Part 5: Abomination

There are a few simple rules to becoming a successful and productive (relatively speaking) horror film villain.

1) Have a gigantic body count. If you do not have half a dozen films to accumulate said body count, writing a giant body count into the past or hinting at such a thing will do.

2) Be ridiculously hard to kill, either by ignoring injuries or being unaffected by them altogether. Failing that, be a good healer. Or just keep on truckin' despite the fact (See Chucky)

3) Either have great luck in finding tools and instruments that can be used to wreck havoc and devastation on the human body, or have your own set of tools built in. Or both

4) Thrive on killing. A reason can be anything, or not matter at all.

If one meets all these criteria, one can be said to be a successful horror villain.

And if one does meet all those criteria, you would think adding a pair of wings would be overkill…but that's what we had.

He was called the Creeper, an immortal humanoid beast that emerged every 23 years for 23 days to feed. Of course that wouldn't be any help to the Hive members, as a crazy thought occurred to Gizmo amidst the chaotic jumble that spilled into his brain when the scarecrow revealed its unpleasant surprise: the blog entry said that whatever had infected the Tower had even removed the restrictions that bound some villains. Freddy Krueger hadn't needed everyone asleep to wreck havoc, for one…and Gizmo doubted any kind of timing system would work for the Hive here. All there was was the Creeper, who wanted one thing: flesh, both for food and for…

Well, it didn't need any more reason then that as it half jumped and half swooped at Flense.

"HOLY…!"

The immensely powerful hand couldn't quite get at Flense's throat with his tendril apparatus blocking the way, but the Creeper settled for grabbing him anyway, lifting him off his feet as he swooped past the group, lifting Flense up a bit as it raised its other hand…

And then metal tendrils tore across its face, and as a look of annoyed surprise came over the Creeper's face, another tentacle coiled around the hand holding Flense as blades snapped out and 'rubbed' the hand, aka uncoiling and using the motion to rip into the skin and muscle. Flense fell to the ground as the grip was broken, taking a finger with him, as the Creeper briefly lost control of himself and then flipped over to land on his feet, his wings coiling back up as he growled, his piercing eyes clearly unhappy.

"…What are you waiting for SHOOT IT!" Gizmo yelled, and the Hive droves finally snapped out of their fugue and brought up their guns, even as legs extended from Gizmo's backpack and lifted him up, a laser cannon extending from his back as he locked on.

Or at least he tried, as the Creeper clearly wasn't planning on waiting around for them to riddle him, as he leapt up towards the nearest wall, even as bullets and blasts began flying through the air and Flense, in the process of getting up, hurled himself down on the ground with a yelp as the projectiles flew over him. The Creeper hit the wall, twisted, and shoved himself off, using his wings to do an extended jump/glide rather then actual flight, his hand pistoning out and smashing through the glass faceplate of one of the Hive drones, blood exploding from the shattered helmet front as the Creeper's momentum carried the soldier backwards, slamming his head into the wall and crushing it inward. The Creeper yanked his arm out and leapt to the side as the guns swung around and opened fire once more, missing him by a mile as he swooped away: the gym apparently wasn't quite big enough for him to fly, but that didn't mean he lacked enough room to maneuver, oh no.

"AIIIIYYYYYAHHHHHHHH!" Buzz Bomb screamed, putting his hands over his ears: the combination of the caffeine, general stress, and sudden and utter calamitous racket wasn't a good mix for him. He crouched down and then started crawling away, as his brain fought to make sense of it. Monster…coming to life…wanting to kill him…what to do…a bomb! He had to make a bomb! He'd just crawl behind this table and make a bomb and…

His hand came down on something sticky. Blood.

Buzz Bomb looked down at his hand and then looked up and around the overturned table he had just meant to crawl around.

Dead, horrified eyes stared back at him. Maybe once what lay behind the table had been human beings: now they were so severely mutilated and cut up that they were reduced to so much random meat. Buzz Bomb shrieked again and scrambled away, not caring if he exposed himself a while longer: he wasn't hiding behind there.

"Damn!" Rocko cursed as the Creeper swooped around the room again, easily dodging the attacking drones and Gizmo. The thing's speed was immense, even hemmed in in the gym, and Rocko was finding herself too slow to keep up: every time she got close and tried to join the fight the Creeper bounced off and left her behind. Like he'd just done, and as Rocko watched, the Creeper swooped away from another barrage and landed behind a drone that had been cut off from his fellows. He tried to turn, but he was far too slow, as the Creeper's hand pistoned out and ripped right through the drone's chest, pulling the heart through his back in a cluster of gristle and veins as the drone let out a wet, agonized scream. His fellows tracked the noise and aimed once more as the Creeper withdrew his arm, but as they opened fire the Creeper just grabbed the drone he had mutilated and help him up in front of him, the body being ripped apart with bullets for a few seconds before the Creeper hurled the body at the shooters, knocking them all down.

It had been the drone that had managed to trick Betelgeuse away, Rocko noticed. No good deed went unpunished.

A spider leg slammed down where the Creeper had been, the monster dodging it, as Gizmo yelled and cursed, trying to swivel his back cannon into position, opening fire and catching the Creeper on the leg and arm, but the monster only seemed to be annoyed as it leapt at Gizmo. Gizmo squawked and tried to move, but while he kept his body out of the Creeper's clawed hands he couldn't say the same for his spider legs, as the Creeper slammed into one and knocked Gizmo off balance. The Creeper landed, grabbed up another leg…

And then metallic tentacles slashed across his back, interrupting his attack as he whirled around.

"Forget about me, asshole?" Flense snapped, as he recalled his tentacles around him, the tips opening as whirling drill bits emerged. "Big mistake!"

The drill tentacles lanced out.

Almost lazily, the Creeper leapt away and to the side, avoiding Gizmo's spider legs once more, and just as Gizmo was getting back on balance the Creeper, in mid leap, slashed out with his claws and ripped into the leg. The whole mechanism promptly went nuts, Gizmo yelling as he tried to control it, as one leg lashed out and caught Flense broadside, slamming him into the nearest wall, HARD. As Flense fell to the floor, his eyes dazed and confused, Gizmo's spider legs entangled themselves and sent the pint sized genius crashing into the table that had once held snacks, the wooden structure exploding into splinters.

The Creeper gave an odd look to the chaos he had just caused, as if trying to make sense of it.

And then a whip lashed around his left shoulder.

"NOW!" Flay yelled, and three Hive droves opened fire. Shock filled the Creeper's eyes as bullets hit his body, but his recovery was utterly scary in its speed, as he whirled and snapped out an arm. Rocko couldn't see what he did: all her eyes caught was a blur…and the front of a helmeted drone shattering as something sliced through it, another slamming into the shoulder of the second drone and cutting his firing off with a scream, blood gouting up from the wound. That left one shooter, who only had a handgun, and apparently that meant he lacked enough importance for the Creeper to focus on, as he turned and grabbed Flay's whip, planning to yank him right into his claws.

Little knowing that Flay had trained against such maneuvers: when the Creeper yanked, Flay had already started moving to the side and jumping, and instead of being pulled into the Creeper's claws Flay instead did a semi-slopping leaping flip/cartwheel, landing on his feet on the other side of the Creeper.

As he coiled his whip around his hands and pressed a button on the hilt.

A mammoth charge of power, part electrical and part ultrasonic, ran up the whip and converged at the tip…which happened to be wrapped around the Creeper's shoulder.

Which resulted in the surge of power blowing the Creeper's left arm clear off and to bits. The Creeper's eyes went wide, as he staggered a bit due to the alteration in balance, as Flay snapped his whip back to himself, preparing to wrap the whip around the Creeper's neck this time…

Except the Creeper adapted to losing an arm far faster then Flay could have guessed, as he snapped out his other arm and sent a whirling dervish at Flay…

Flay's training to avoid being lashed with his own weapons served him well, but even he couldn't dodge entirely, as the weapon semi-glanced his cheek, ripping it open to the bone even as it knocked Flay down. The weapon impaled into the wall next to Rocko, who finally saw what it was: a throwing star. Except this wasn't any throwing star: the fact that the center was composed of a jawbone carefully compacted into a circular shape from which sharp daggers of bone sprouted made that pretty clear. Had Rocko seen the dead bodies that had so freaked out Buzz Bomb, she would have realized what they had been sliced to ribbons for: materials for weaponry. As if the Creeper wasn't deadly enough.

Well, at least Flay had crippled him…

The lone remaining gunman that Flay had tried to set the Creeper up for ran out of ammo, and he dropped his gun and, in a fit of crazy bravery or just plain lunacy, snapped out a crackling cattle-prod esque taser from his boot and charged at the Creeper, screaming a battle cry…

The Creeper's arm casually snapped out and slammed against his head as he got close, the dull crack of his neck breaking filling the room. As the body collapsed, the Creeper turned to it: apparently its attackers were reloading, seeking cover, or down for the count, which suited it just fine. It needed a second or two, as it planted its foot on the chest of its most recent victim even as it seized the left arm and yanked. The limb came off in a spray of blood and a half ripping half popping noise, and the Creeper placed it up against his own bloody stump. Tendrils of flesh shot out, seizing the limb and bringing it in, and even as the skin color of the hand mottled to the blackish-yellow of the Creeper's body the limb slid in more like a puzzle piece and locked. The Creeper tore the clothing off the arm as he lifted and flexed it, the arm having become his. That was his other goal, after all. Fresh meat, and new parts for his body. And while normally he sought out the best parts, any part would do in an emergency.

No longer crippled, the Creeper turned as he tried to decide who he should carve up next…

And found that while his power may have allowed him to replace lost limbs, they had a downside. Like keeping him in one place long enough for a slow rock golem to get close.

"Hello." Rocko said grimly, and thrust an arm out.

The Creeper dodged, albeit barely, as Rocko whirled with her blow, trying to lure the Creeper into a devastating backhand. But the Creeper dodged that too, and the Rocko tried to find her balance, it struck back, bring back its own arm and clawing Rocko across the face with so much force it staggered her.

For a second, as her head snapped back, her blank white eyes staring into the Creeper's.

"I've had worse." Rocko said, and slammed her arms together in front of her, this time managing to squash the Creeper between them. But it slithered away as she tried to grab its head, its arm snapping out as it hurled the last of its bone stars at Rocko.

They broke on her body.

"That too." Rocko said, following the Creeper as it staggered away, still recovering from the massive impact that Rocko had inflicted upon it. It was near the shattered scarecrow it had hid in at the beginning now, and Rocko saw it dip down and grab something off the floor. Apparently deciding that Rocko needed a bit more then the usual, the Creeper snapped out his arm as sharp blades of metal folded out from the staff it was holding, a switchblade axe if you will. And the Creeper knew how to use it, as it ducked in under Rocko's swipe and slammed the axe as hard as it could into Rocko's chest, biting into the stone.

Half a second of pause.

Rocko's backhand sent the Creeper flying across the room, a smear of blood running down the back of Rocko's fist as she yanked the axe out of her chest and crushed it into scrap with one massive hand.

"Still failing." She declared.

The Creeper's features had been mashed somewhat as it got up, its eyes narrowing as Rocko approached. This was like no creature it had ever tried to hunt before: its body seemed immune to pain, like its own. Also, it appeared to be composed heavily of if not entirely of stone and granite, a substance it could not assimilate.

But no matter: the rest were still quite viable. And this anomaly was clearly slow: it could easily stay away from it until it had what it wanted, and then it would leave the rock being behind: there was plenty more prey out there and it was hungry…

Rocko growled as the Creeper sprang backwards, bounced off a wall, and leapt over Rocko: Rocko made a leaping grab for it but missed as the Creeper swooped back over to the drone it had wounded in the shoulder earlier, the drone screaming and trying to gets his gun up, but not before the Creeper's hand came down, cutting his hair. All the way down to his stomach. Rocko's blank eyes narrowed at the horrific sight: even she had enough humanity left to know an ugly death when she saw one.

And so did Gizmo, from where he was propped behind the table among the ruins of his spider walker as he finished assembling the weapon he had been working on. And he was going to put a stop to it.

Gizmo stood up, the giant laser rifle he had assembled propped against his hip as he turned around and aimed it at the Creeper. Rocko was across the room, Flense was still unconscious, Flay was trying to staunch the bloodflow from his cheek via a tablecloth behind a couch, and Gizmo couldn't see Buzz Bomb or Sabotage. And seeing how the Creeper was distracted by the three lone remaining Hive drones as they futilely tried to kill it, Gizmo figured this was as good a time as any. He'd only get one shot with the power pack he had, but one shot was all he needed: even though he knew the Creeper didn't appear to feel pain or the loss of a limb the way a normal person would, he knew this shot would severely inconvenience even IT…

The Creeper already seemed to be somewhat inconvenienced though, as one of the Hive drones had an auto shotgun and the constant blasts of buckshot were enough to drive off even the Creeper, for a bit: it leapt backwards and then leapt to cling onto a wall. It'd go for a diving approach…

Gizmo began locking on, even as one of the drones with a more traditional machine gun tried to draw his own bead on the Creeper…

And Sabotage remerged from wherever he had been hiding during the whole battle, an absence that was quite intentional. Now that all the pieces of shit had been taken down, he'd step in and show them while he ruled this school, their worlds, and their pathetic little lives, because he was Sabotage, and he was untouchable. (Betelgeuse didn't count! He cheated!)

"Move dipshit." Sabotage growled as he approached the machine gunner. You'd think Sabotage could have just ordered or shoved him out of the way, but then he wouldn't be Sabotage, as he struck out with his talent and made the muscles in the machine gunner's left leg suddenly seize up in an agonizing cramp.

So agonizing the machine gunner completely lost his balance even as his finger squeezed the trigger, and with a scream he fell, spraying bullets across the room in a wild pattern.

A pattern Gizmo suddenly found himself looking right into.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He shrieked as the bullets slammed into the table and wall around him, and in the way the panicked do, Gizmo tried to recoil away even as his finger inadvertently yanked his own trigger.

A concentrated plasma laser blast flew from the barrel and slammed into the wall several feet from the Creeper, and even as it recoiled Gizmo's falling backwards while jerking in surprise dragged the laser up the wall and across the ceiling in a fairly wide zig zag…

And then the energy concentration exploded, blowing up the wall and knocking the Creeper to the ground even as the explosion ran up and across the ceiling, which groaned as its structure was severely damaged and then fell apart completely, the whole roof caving in on the gym.

Everyone would have been crushed to death.

If they didn't have a master geokinetic on their side, as Rocko looked up as the ceiling came down, her eyes glowing, as she assessed the situation and damage within a quarter of a second and realized there was only one option: she couldn't lessen or hold up all the weight, but she could damn sure distribute it more.

She thrust up her arms like she was conducting a symphony.

And the entire mass of collapsing stone and concrete exploded into millions of pebbles, the rocks showering down on the people (and Creeper) in a painful rain, but that was better then a fatal one. Rocko fell to her knees, utterly drained: she wasn't used to such mammoth efforts in such knee jerk times. She'd need a little bit to regain her strength…

And that would apparently be very bad for her allies, as Gizmo pulled himself out from under the small mound of rock nuggets he'd been buried in, coughing and sputtering and trying to blink the dust out of his eyes.

"What the crud…you idiotic snot…" Gizmo coughed, as his eyes cleared.

And settled on the Creeper.

Oh, it wasn't right in Gizmo's face, but that was little comfort to the midget genius. Instead it was looking up.

Up at the now open roof and the considerably greater amount of room it was now afforded.

"…Oh CRUD." Gizmo said.

The wings snapped out once more, the bat-like extensions nearly touching each wall, as the Creeper flew into the air and up past where the roof had been, as it prepared to show the Hive members what it truly meant to say "Death From Above"…

* * *

And now an annoying pause.

"Did y'all just hear that?" Billy Numerous said, stopping in his walk as he heard a slight rumble in the distance.

"No, and I wouldn't care if I did." Mammoth said, as he continued shuffling Shimmer along, like she was a toddler instead of a teen possessing her own metahuman talents. Or maybe it was just to keep Progeny away from here, Billy wasn't sure. Though Progeny seemed to be keeping his mind on the task at hand: finding a way out.

Though that was harder then it seemed. Especially since...

The corridor.

Mammoth had been CERTAIN it hadn't looked like that when he had turned the corner. Billy had said nothing in his scouting report. But Mammoth had been looking at Progeny in regards to a comment that had been and had started replying…

And then he became aware that the sound that his boot made when it came down was wrong. The dull, almost unintelligible sound had been replaced by a slight clank, as if he was no longer stepping on solid metal but a…

Grating.

Which, as Mammoth found out as he looked down, was exactly what he was stepping on.

Except there were no grating floors in the Hive base.

Especially not rusty ones that were sticky under his boot, as a pungent iron aroma filled Mammoth's nostrils. Rust…and blood.

And he looked up.

The hallway was gone.

Or rather the normal one. The new one had pointed, jagged gratings everywhere, pointing from the walls and sticking up from the floor. The space beyond the gratings seemed impossibly black, as if light wasn't just lacking but devoured altogether. As Mammoth's jaw dropped open, he could swear he saw flashes of movement beyond the grates, of…something…

There was no doubt what had happened here: whatever had happened to that corridor Gizmo had discovered.

"…What in…blue…blazes…" Billy said, as he stepped from around Mammoth. "This wasn't here before."

"What?" Shimmer said.

Billy couldn't help himself: he was drawn into the corridor…the corridor of dirty glass, stained with unintelligible fluids, splattered on the walls…

A flash of light beyond the walls.

A figure.

Pointing at Billy.

Billy jumped.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" Mammoth asked, drawing his sister closer to him.

"Baran! You're hurting me!"

Another flash. Another shadow figure, pointing at Billy.

"Ahhhhhh!"

"What's going on and…ugh, what is this?" Progeny said as he stepped past Mammoth. Looking at the walls. The strange walls of spikes and blood, on which was stretched sections of…something…

Progeny sure wasn't touching one of the sections bare-handed, so he couldn't tell exactly what it was. But even with the gloves, he could have sworn it was…

Skin…

"What's so fascinating? We don't have time to hang around here!" Mammoth yelled.

Progeny jerked back his hand. He could have sworn he felt movement beneath the stretched canvass.

"Don't you see it?" Billy said, pointing.

Another flash. The figure was closer.

"See what?"

"That…thing!"

"Billy you're pointing to an empty grate."

"What?" Billy said, and looked again.

As the face splattered up against the dirty glass, eyes exploding in bloody splats, teeth pressed up, blood running down from the face.

Laughing at Billy.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Billy screamed, staggering back.

"What?" Progeny said, looking behind him.

As the flesh bulged out, a hand trying to push through it, a hand Progeny saw as he turned back around. "HOLY SHIT!"

The hand reached for him, the skin starting to tear, white fluids leaking from it, but Progeny didn't hang around, as he exploded into a swirl of body parts and zapped around Mammoth, reforming and running, Billy on his heels.

"That's it, we're going back!" Mammoth said.

"What? What's going on?" Shimmer asked as Mammoth wheeled his sister around and began pushing her away, Mammoth watching over his shoulder as he went around the corner and all the way through the door, which Mammoth closed and locked behind them.

"We need to find another way out." Mammoth said to the still very shell-shocked Progeny and Billy Numerous. Neither of them disagreed. "Are you ok Selinda?"

"Are you, big bro?" Shimmer replied.

"…Let's go." Mammoth said, as they headed off. None of them complained, even if it meant their escape took longer. If any of them had questions how something like what they had just seen had ended up in their base…well, they'd decided to save them for later.

Another annoying thing was that most of the doors they were coming across now were busted, their panels shot out by some kind of weapon. That didn't much matter though when you had a superstrong teen who could just pry the doors open (though he had to be careful: the doors were designed to resist something like that and if Mammoth didn't do it properly magnets would activate that would 'freeze' the door, and then Mammoth would have to pound it down, something that would be very hard on his hands), and even if Mammoth couldn't open the doors for one reason or another Shimmer could just turn them into salt or something. No need for this door though: it was open. And the lights beyond it weren't working. True to character, Mammoth ordered Billy to send some of his clones to scout ahead. Billy listened: Mammoth did have seniority over him and he wasn't much in the mood to challenge it, what he had seen beforehand aside. After all, Billy wasn't afraid of the dark. Not after what the light had shown him earlier.

"Nothing there." The clones reported, as Billy popped them back into himself. In tight hallways like this, he tried to keep the number of hims to a minimum: all it would take was one bullet bouncing off the walls and they'd ALL be dead.

"All right. You two, watch the rear." Mammoth said, as he led Shimmer through the door.

Progeny began to follow, as he started to say something, but whatever that something might have been was lost to time as the doors suddenly slammed shut behind the brother and sister.

"HEY!" Progeny said, as he ran up to the door and banged on it. "Mammoth! MAMMOTH! BARAN! HEY!"

"HEY! BIG GUY! THE DOOR! THE DOOR!" Billy yelled as well. He figured he might as well: even if the door was soundproofed Mammoth still should have heard it close.

Key word being should have.

Because he hadn't.

Why? You know damn well.

And hence Mammoth unknowingly went on with his sister, unaware he was leaving his teammates behind as he went around a corner. He just thought they were being quiet, and besides he was too busy watching the shadows to make sure that there was nothing in them BUT the shadows.

"HEY! COME BACK YAH VARMINT! NO GOOD SNAKE IN THE GRASS!" Billy yelled, as he and a dozen clones banged on the door. But it didn't budge, and playing with the shot out control panel didn't produce any results either…

And Billy was suddenly aware Progeny wasn't around either. He looked up to see the playboy with the bizarre talent heading down the hallway to the left.

"HEY! WHERE YA GOING?"

"You saw what happened Bill. As far as I'm concerned, that means every man for himself." Progeny said.

Billy thought that over for a second, and decided that even though he was never truly alone, he didn't much cotton to the technical aspect of it in this situation.

"HEY! WAIT FOR ME!" Billy yelled, chasing after Progeny.

Perhaps to our surprise, the cloner actually caught up to him.

* * *

And while they say one can be judged by the company one keeps, in situations like this one finds that any company would do.

Indeed, Rhinoceros Beetle thought, he'd gladly pass the time with the Lord, or one of those utter psychopaths like Jack Djinn, as long as it meant he wasn't alone.

Because he was alone, and he utterly, completely loathed the fact, as he turned the corner, the flashlight he had procured before he'd gone off on this little journey waving wildly in one hand as he kept his other fist raised. While he did hope he ran into someone, after what he had seen, just before he realized he was alone, cut off, he had a feeling that he had an equal chance to run into…something besides his teammates. And so he kept his fist raised in the hopes that anything that came his way was something physical, and hence he could and would (try to) beat the living stuffing out of them until they went away or quit bothering him or anything in that vein.

And if it WASN'T physical…well Wilby kept his mind off that by wondering about the other HIVE members, or rather the Elementals to be specific.

"Antoinette...where are you when I need you to keep me rational?" Wilby whined to himself. He'd gladly put up with the French teen's bossiness and overwhelming vanity and the way she often treated him as her personal slave, just as long as she was around.

But hey, what good would it do? It was obvious he was losing his mind. Didn't need any company to tell him that, as he slowly stepped through the corridors, hearing whispers from each corner and steps from all around. Yep, he was going mad, cuckoo, bonkers, loonytunes: these events were making him see things that weren't there. Or worse, were there. After what had happened, after seeing those…those….THINGS, he was willing to take a lot on faith.

He turned several times, expecting something to jump out behind him, expecting something to get in close enough to put his armor to use, or show how useless it was, especially if it went for his head. Unlike when he was fully prepared, he only had some of his armor: his helmet was missing, as was his visor, hence he no longer had night vision and hence, the flashlight.

If he actually wanted to see what was coming…

"Wilby."

The voice came from in front of him, but because he had just turned it sounded as if it came from behind him. Which of course nearly gave him a heart attack before he recognized it. All the same, he turned slowly, his eyes widening…and then he looked upon the face of who was there. He let off a mighty sigh and dropped his guard.

"Floral, you shouldn't do that to me." Rhinoceros Beetle said, as he wiped his brow and breathed in heavily before continuing. "You know how surprise tends to combine with my…asthma…"

Now at this point something had caught Wilby, as Floral, or Rose as some knew her, would usually A) First apologize for what she'd done, and B) Commence or recommence running around in a panic, because in a situation like this, that was what Floral did. But she didn't do that, didn't do or say anything, she just stood there.

Wilby stared, as a prickle of deep unease twitched on the back of his neck. Something wasn't right here…

"Help me…" Floral finally said as Wilby straightened up, starting to become alarmed as she walked towards him. Something didn't quite register, something that was setting off his deep-seated animal danger senses, but what was it?

"I'm lost... Help me..." Floral repeated taking another few steps forward…and suddenly Wilby forgot about his deep sense of unease. He was too busy looking down at the blood on her clothing, her own blood. She had been attacked, and was, or at least had, been bleeding. He took a step forward to help.

Clang.

For some reason the sound made him pause again. But why? The floor he was standing on was just metal, normal metal, and he wore giant boots, so why wouldn't it make a clang...

Then it twigged in his mind what was wrong with the picture.

Floral was MAKING NO SOUND when she walked. Every step she took forward produced absolutely no noise, as if she wasn't stepping.

So he shone the flashlight at her feet...

And found out why she wasn't making any stepping sounds.

She wasn't stepping.

Wilby looked up in surprised horror as Floral was suddenly right in front of him as she grabbed him, harshly, and started to shake him. Hard. And considering he was literally ten times her size…

"HELP ME!" She screamed, moaning in pain, shaking him with her amazingly strong hands. Wilby fought, or tried, but with each push he found himself unable to pull away, his amazing strength almost seemingly nullified. It was as if she wasn't shaking his body, but his very soul. He felt as if something was draining his life force away, as if she was removing it to feed an ever-growing hunger…

A hunger he didn't feel too great about being the main course of, as the fight or flight instinct truly kicked in and he redoubled his efforts, struggling with her for a bit before he finally managed to get some leverage and force his way past.

Or at least that had been the plan, as what actually happened made him rethink EVERYTHING.

Because he barged his way THROUGH her.

And when I mean through, I don't mean it like a football player might do. He didn't knock her down, oh no. He actually went through her body.

It felt as if he had just passed through a fog, a mist of warm air. The feeling of being drained, of being preyed on her that she had caused in him, rose in one final, powerful jolt and then stopped almost immediately. Falling down, as he'd expected to go around her, not through her, he landed awkwardly, but he didn't stay that way as he scrambled up, his eyes wide as he fumbled for his flashlight again and spun while on his back, pointing it at Floral.  
But she was gone.

Not one bit of her was left.

Nothing.

He swung the flashlight around, hoping to find something, anything…but nothing.

His mind raced at what had happened, and then he thought back to what he had seen at her feet.

Why he had not heard any noise when she walked.

She had no feet.

Simple as that, she was floating in mid air.

He looked down to try and remember exactly HOW such a thing could happen…except something on the ground caught his eye. Two things.

A glowing green rock... and an old camera.

Crawling forward onto his stomach, he lifted it up the rock and looked at it, spinning it around in his hands, and did the same with the camera. It looked familiar, like he'd seen it before. But such a camera was beyond obsolete: you probably would only see it in an old movie. Or in a museum or…or…

Maybe a video game.

His eyes went wide as he realized just what he held.

"The Camera Obscura!" He shouted, almost dropping it in his shock before catching it again in his large, powerful hands. His mind again raced. What was this doing here? Scratch that, how could it even BE here? This wasn't a video game, this was reality! It couldn't be THE camera! It couldn't be…it had to be just an old camera, probably dropped by one of the older members of the hive. Maybe one of the Elementals collected old stuff like this? Maybe it was Brother Blood's hobby?

Or…maybe it was the camera.

He knew it was crazy, but maybe it was. His group had been playing games, horror games. Indeed, Wilby wasn't too interested in the movies as such, though he probably would be called away to hold Platinum Blonde's hand if any of the movies got too scary (and while he did that he would buy some salt to sprinkle on all the places hell had frozen over, such was the likelihood he'd get anywhere close to doing that). So he had played games.

And one of those games was a game known to some as Project Zero, but to Americans as _Fatal Frame_, or rather _Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly_.

A game where your only weapon was this camera, to capture…ghosts…

Ghosts who were often tormented, who didn't walk, who fed on the life force of the living…

Scared at the possibilities, but still wanting to know, to be utterly sure, Wilby lifted the camera up to his eye line and stared through…

"HELP ME!"

Floral was in the view finder, screeching and whipping ghost vines around her, rotted and decayed, chunks coming off with each swing. Wilby jumped back, not sure what to do. He was used to physical things, something he could harm, or at least beat into submission (unless they hit him first), but this was out of his league, you couldn't beat up a ghost, as his hands fumbled…  
And hit the button, setting the flash off.

Floral staggered back, grabbing at her eyes before letting out an eerie moan and falling to her knees. Not knowing what else to do, Wilby watched through the camera as she faded into nothingness.

…Well, that was the proof HE needed. This was the Camera Obscura, the very same. It had repelled the ghost of Rose, and for a moment he felt... relived, as it meant he wasn't going crazy. He was still sane, or as sane as one could be in such a situation.

Then he realized a certain tragedy. If there was a Floral ghost, then she was dead. The sweet girl was gone, killed…maybe at the hands of whatever had commit those horrors on the Hive drones he'd seen in the hallway. A wave of sadness swept through him…and was followed by panic. If this was indeed the Camera Obscura, then…

Wilby ripped open the back of the camera in realization and pulled out the photograph of Ghost Floral; the camera had managed to develop it straight away, with the ghost energy it had taken. On the film, there was a label.

"Type-90?" He said to himself. Then he remembered; throughout the game there was different film. Type-07, which was the weakest and most plentiful, if he remembered rightly it was infinite ammunition, then there was Type-14, old film, type-75 film which was new film and type-90, which was one of the best. There was also ZERO film, which was stupidly powerful, but it took a long time to reload. He had used the last piece of film in there, and it was Type-90.

He was out of ammo.

While Type-07 was unlimited, the camera had not had it equipped at the time, and hence he didn't have it either, hence he had used the only ammunition he had.

He quickly looked around as he tried to find something, anything that would indicate that there was film nearby, a glint, an off-c, anything.

Nothing.

Standing up, he pocketed the gem from before and the photo, carrying the camera with one hand, closing the back as he walked, flashlight in his free hand.

And he really hoped that whatever he ran into next could, if it wasn't friendly, be beat into submission.

* * *

The thought that there was something his gauntlets couldn't handle didn't occur to Nightwalker, as he twisted and twirled an ammo pack in one of his free hands, ready to slam it in and open fire at anything that showed up and even looked at him funny. He hadn't gone through all that just to die at the hands of…well, whatever, but after what he'd just been through he was sure it'd be a step down.

Jinx was hugging herself as she walked on, her eyes both alert, nervous, and pondering. Nightwalker sighed as the expression: it meant all he had said still hadn't gotten through.

"You know Llarenes, you can't always believe everything you see." Nightwalker said.

"But…it ACTED just like…"

"Jinx…this wasn't some one shot person or killing that only a very small group would know about. That was a creature that appeared in a video game that sold tens of thousands of copies. It's not exactly difficult to duplicate."

"Duplicate?"

"Yes. As in, that wasn't the Nemesis, popped out of a video game and come to life and trying to kill us!"

"Then what WAS it?"

"…I don't know! A bioengineered creation by someone who wasn't very original? A robot? A hard light hologram construct? Jinx, any of those are more possible then the…ludicrous notion that it came out of a video game!"

"Why are you alone?" Jinx suddenly asked.

"…What?"

"Why was it just you? Why not anyone else?

"Uh…" Nightwalker muttered. "Well there was a big group, but we uh…had some disagreements and uh…I had to go off by myself and…uh…"

"Methinks the lady doeth protest too much. Out with it Nightwalker: why'd you go off on your own and why do I have the feeling it would greatly undermine your argument?"

"…That doesn't matter! It doesn't! Whatever that thing was back there, it's gone, burned to ash. No need to worry."

"Nightwalker, I was chased down the hallway by some lunatic in a Santa suit with an axe. I think we still…"

A hand clamped over her mouth, cutting her off. Jinx's eyes widened.

"Shhhhhh." Nightwalker whispered. "Noise down the hallway. Can't decipher it. Treat it as an enemy." Nightwalker said, pulling his hand away as he slowly slipped in his ammo clip and added one to his other gauntlet. Jinx nodded and gestured forward, as the two crept up to the corner.

Nightwalker raised a hand, holding up four fingers, and then counted down to three, two…

"HAH!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Zippy yelled as she waved her gun around, causing Nightwalker to dive to the ground.

"Ahhh!" Juryrig cursed, before he let out the air in his lungs and gestured to Duke Nukem. "Well hello to you too!"

"Julian!" Jinx said.

"Gee, you think?" Juryrig said as he lowered his own gun.

"Heyguyswhat'sthebigideasneakingaroundthecornerandmakingusthinkyouwereamonsterIdon'tneedtobewastingbulletsonyourdumbasses…" Zippy spilled out, as Nightwalker got to his feet with a sigh.

"Give me THAT." He snapped, swiping the gun from Zippy's hand and clicking the safety back on. "I wouldn't recommend this as a weapon, you're more likely to shoot yourself then a target."

"Saysyou!"

"Exactly!"

"Enough. No fighting. Jinx, glad to see you're alive. Nightwalker, what happened, decide the main group wasn't hip enough and strike off on your own?"

"I realize I made an error in judgment in my choice of traveling partners. Let's just leave it at that, all right?" Nightwalker said. "Who are you with and do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Just Antoinette. We were with Wilby but we…lost him." Juryrig said.

"He's dead?"

"No we literally lost him."

"Thehallwayvanished! Justendedinawallthatwasn'therebeforeallgonebyebyeWilby!" Zippy said.

"We're trying to regroup in the cafeteria. We found something there…Seymore. He's dead."

"I'm sorry." Nightwalker replied, though if he was actually sorry with the way his helmet distorted his voice was left up to interpretation.

"Oh that's not the worst. Then we heard something. Something you're not going to believe."

* * *

"Rose is dead?" Platinum Blonde said in shock and horror.

"I'm afraid so." Nightwalker said quietly. And while the tears didn't start falling, it was clear the French metal girl was overwhelmed. Zippy had no such restraint: once she was certain of the truth, she fell on her rear and began to bawl, Juryrig heading over to comfort her.

"We found her…and Danielle." Jinx said.

"Oh god Danielle…she'll lose her mind…" Platinum Blonde said.

"She did." Nightwalker said, once again unloading his gauntlets. Juryrig gave the teen a dirty look.

"Hey man, show some fucking compassion."

"I'll show compassion when all our asses aren't in the same sling that propelled Rose down the river Styx. You said you heard something we're not going to believe, well we have something like that too. It's how we ran into Rose and Danielle. But you go first."

"Yeah yeah, hang on." Juryrig said, as he called a napkin dispenser to Zippy and offered her some. As Zippy blew her nose with a loud snort, Jinx went over to check the body of Seemore, found with a blanket over him. She swiftly found out why, and barely kept the contents of her stomach down.

"About ten seconds after we found THAT…" Juryrig said, indicating Seemore's body. "Antoinette's communicator came on, out of the blue. Scared the hell out of us, especially since…hey! Are you even going to pay attention!" Juryrig yelled, as Nightwalker headed over to the entrance of the cafeteria he and Jinx had entered by and began fiddling with the control pad.

"Trust me, this door is better shut." Nightwalker said, as he pressed the door key and it slid shut and locked. "You were saying?"

"I didn't turn it on. It just turned itself on." Platinum Blonde said.

"Maybe you hit it by mistake."

"Whatever it was, no one was speaking directly into it. All we caught was background chatter. Since we heard Gizmo's voice the clearest we assume it was his communicator. And what he said…well…it definitely gave us pause."

"Oh really? And what was he saying?"

So Juryrig told him.

"……………..Oh forget THIS." Nightwalker said, shoving off the wall he'd been leaning on.

"Yeah, that was pretty much MY reaction, but after I gave it some thought, it started making a queer kind of sense. Especially after Sal here filled in a few blanks. Sal, tell them about how your race with Ezhno ended."

Zippy quickly (literally) laid out what she'd seen: Hermes smashing the computer, the reaction that had engulfed Control Freak, and the destruction that had followed.

"IfwhatGizmosaidistruethenthesituationwasalmostexactlythesameaswhattheTitansexperienced." Zippy finished.

"And so horror films have come to life." Nightwalker said.

"You wanna explain that damn corridor? And how a wall appeared where there wasn't one? Sounds like reality manipulation in the vein of slasher to me."

"Julian, listen to yourself. What makes more sense in our way of life: an over-elaborate plot by some nutbar with a horror film mad-on, or horror films actually coming to life?"

"I'd like to hear your explanation of how a psycho dressed up as Santa DISAPPEARS INTO THIN AIR WHEN HE DIES." Jinx snapped.

"I TOLD you…"

"Wait wait…" Juryrig said. "Did you say psycho dressed up as Santa?"

"Yeah!"

"Axe? Said "Punished" and "Naughty" a lot?"

"…Yeah."

"…Oh my god. Billy Caldwell."

"Who?" Nightwalker asked.

"A slasher from a film called _Silent Night, Deadly Night…_caused a minor stir when it was released in the early 80's because some people didn't cotton to the idea of Santa being portrayed as a serial killer…" Juryrig said before he trailed off.

"…Not just that." Jinx said.

"What?"

"He was just the warm up Juryrig. Because I think that whatever happened to the Titans has happened to this place too…and it didn't just happen with films this time."

"What do you mean?" Platinum Blonde said.

"…Guys, we ran into Scorcher and Floral because we were being chased. And what was chasing us was…"

A gigantic ringing thud tore through the whole room as a bulge of metal suddenly blossomed out from the door Nightwalker had closed, making everyone jump and in the case of the females scream as Nightwalker whirled around and stared at the door, even as another thud rang through the room and another bulge appeared.

"NO!" Nightwalker yelled, almost cried, as yet another bulge emerged. "NO! IMPOSSIBLE! CAN'T BE!"

"What the hell! What's going on!" Juryrig yelled, as yet another bulge appeared.

"What was chasing us! Scorcher fought it, we thought it was dead! It SHOULD be dead! The…!"

The door exploded off its hinges and fell with a final loud thud, as a giant shadowy figure loomed beyond.

"…Nemesis." Jinx finished.

"Hivvvvvveeee…" The abomination growled as it stalked through the door…stalked, and limped, just a bit. The jacket the Nemesis had worn had been completely burned off, leaving just his pants and boots…and a giant writhing mass of tentacles attached to the creature's shoulders, arms, and chest. Smoke still rose from parts of its body, and most of the exposed skin was hideously burned…burns that were clearly healing up nonetheless.

"…No…no…" Nightwalker said. "Scorcher fought you. The only way you could be here is if…if…"

"HIVVVVEEEEE!" The Nemesis roared.

And with the speed that still could shock and surprise, the Nemesis thrust out an arm and a tentacle lanced out, heading right for Jinx.

* * *

Compared to how fast that attack was, to Gizmo the Creeper almost seemed to be flying up at a leisurely pace. Thought that was probably a perception trick, or maybe he'd banged his head when the wild machine gun fire had knocked him down. Yeah, that probably was it: here he was looking at a creature that with enough room could swoop down and take his head off before he knew what hit him, and he was thinking of the parallel between that and the dive bombers of Hitler's Blitzkrieg attack strategy. Maybe all the rubble falling on his head, pebble form or not, had compounded his head injury…

…Wait a second.

Gizmo's errant laser blast had destroyed the roof.

And that had come from attempting to shoot a creature that had emerged from a horror film.

In such a way that, if Gizmo recalled correctly, tied into a thunderstorm.

A thunderstorm like the one that, as far as Gizmo could tell, was still raging around the makeshift Hive base.

And there was no more roof.

SO WHERE WAS ALL THE RAIN?

And the Creeper answered that question for him, as it pumped its wings one last time just before it swooped down…

And slammed into something.

HARD.

The only cue that something was there was the brief flash and outline of a white with a hint of green seethrough barrier, a flash that quickly vanished as the Creeper tumbled back down, his wings seemingly unable to slow his descent. He hit the ground hard.

"…Ah crud." Gizmo said, as he realized what had happened. He blinked a few times to finish clearing his head and stood up, digging under the debris for his laser cannon. In its current state it would be useless to him: he had to disassemble it some so it could fire.

"What happened?" Asked one of the remaining Hive drones.

"Did we win?" Flay said, poking his head out from behind the couch, blood still trickling from his face.

"I dunno about winning, but I know what he crashed into, bloody crud." Gizmo said.

"What?"

"Our base is in lockdown, a state it entered when it senses an intruder…these things, we assume. The purpose of lockdown is to make sure the intruder can't escape, the theory being we can easily handle them once they're cornered, ha ha ha ha ha." Gizmo semi-laughed in a bitter tone. "But the system we have here isn't perfect. Somehow another part of the defenses has activated, a part that's not a part of the lockdown process. It's for defending the base from outside attack."

"What is it?" Flay asked.

"Gee, you couldn't tell by the lack of rain? A force field dingus! One that covers the whole base. If you look closely you might be able to see the rain bouncing off it. The problem is the field is a dome shape, covering the whole building. Which means even if we find an exit, we can't GET OUT."

"So how do we turn off the force field?" Another drone asked.

"We need to find the computer. Problem is I just built the damn thing: Blood was the one who actually installed it. I have no idea where it is: only Blood would, and possibly Billy. But the only way for us to get out is to turn it off or for it to run out of power. And considering how I build things, even temporary things, with nothing strenuous being inflicted on the outside of the shield it'll take all night for it to shut down on its own. Crud! I wish I knew just what turned the damn thing on!" Gizmo said, as he finished disassembling his gun and began reassembling it into a weaker form, albeit one that could actually shoot.

"Well what turns it on?" Flay asked.

"An outside attack on the base! But I don't know what it could have read as that!"

Gizmo would never know it had been Scorcher's outburst upon finding Floral, and at the moment something else had caught his attention, as one of the drones had walked up to the Creeper's body.

"Hey! Careful Burke!" Gizmo said, knowing this particular drone's name for some reason, probably his decent memory.

"Right right." Burke said, his gun carefully aimed at the Creeper's crumpled body. He nudged it with his foot, then kicked it a few times. No reaction or movement.

"…I think it broke its neck." Burke reported.

"Oh wouldn't that be our luck." Gizmo said, as he finished assembling his gun, looking down to snap the last part into place.

And looking up to see, much to his horror, that Burke had turned his back on the Creeper. His eyes widened.

"BURKE!"

"What?"

The Creeper's hand exploded through Burke's stomach, clutching a handful of guts. Burke screamed as he looked down, and then the Creeper yanked backwards, pulling a fistful of gore from the hole in the man's as he stood up.

"Crud!" Gizmo cursed (and if you complain he's overusing the word, let's see how original YOU are in a crisis), as he brought the gun and began firing.

He got two shots off before the body slammed into him, thrown one handed by the Creeper, smashing Gizmo's small frame backwards where he banged his head on the wall (all those musings about head injuries seemed to have prophetic), his gun scattering away on the floor as the Creeper licked a finger as if gauging the blood and then turned to a new target: the last two Hive drones. They opened fire, of course, but the Creeper didn't seem much bothered as it poised to leap…

And then a whip lashed around his waist.

"Baby, light my fire." Flay commented, and pressed a button on the handle again. Fire exploded down the whip length and erupted around the Creeper's waist. The lack of noise would seem to indicate that this didn't bother the Creeper much, though his facial expressions said otherwise as he tried to get the whip off, the flame spreading up his body. Getting nowhere, The Creeper took a different tact, as he grabbed the whip and yanked his body as hard as he could. This time, Flay couldn't properly control the momentum, as the Creeper pulled him off his feet and hurled him around and across the room, right into the firing Hive drones, knocking them all down.

Rocko's eyes narrowed as the Creeper approached the stunned trio. Damn it, she was still too weak, and even if she could move she couldn't cross the distance needed in time to stop the Creeper from…

A stone slammed into the Creeper's head.

"Hey gruesome."

The Creeper turned to look at Sabotage, who was standing nearby, casually tossing a stone up and down in his hand. From across the room, Rocko wondered where he had come from: he seemed to keep slipping in and out from lines of sight as if his power was invisibility rather then probability manipulation. Of course, deep down she knew: Sabotage was keeping back until he saw a chance to step in and claim all the glory for himself. Bloody asshole.

"Enough screwing around with the pussies. Time to fight a real man." Sabotage said, as he assumed a basic combat stance.

The Creeper apparently didn't have a problem with someone wanting to be its next victim, as it turned and headed for Sabotage. Or rather, it turned and walked a few steps before it suddenly bounded at Sabotage.

That didn't help it, as it suddenly veered to the side, allowing Sabotage to dodge it as it crashed into a wall. Rocko knew Sabotage had used his power to cause some kind of muscle cramp or twitch that had severely altered the Creeper's momentum. And that was the least Sabotage could do, as the Creeper pulled himself from the wall and turned, looking quite aggravated.

And that was before Sabotage kicked him in the face. The Creeper stumbled back a step and then swiped at Sabotage. But as he did so, the Creeper stumbled, and Sabotage whirled around the creature and backhanded him on the back of the head. The Creeper crouched down on all fours after the blow, sprang to the side, clamped onto the wall and sprang back at Sabotage, but he went too high (or rather Sabotage made him go too high, as Sabotage half-fell, half rolled onto his back and shoulders, and as the Creeper swooped under him he thrust up his legs into the monster's gut, knocking him to the side and down as Sabotage flipped up to his feet. Quite angry now, the Creeper whirled up and slashed at the teen, but Sabotage dodged away and hit the Creeper several times in the face before ducking and flipping away from another attack. Furious, the Creeper lunged at Sabotage…

Who slipped under the creature's grip, spun around from his back, and yanked twin guns from his belt. He must have gotten them from one of the dead drones.

And he proceeded to empty them into the Creeper's back, the flesh exploding into a mass of gore as the high power bullets ravaged it. The Creeper was driven to the ground from the barrage, as the guns clicked empty. Sabotage looked at them and then tossed them aside.

"Had enough?" He asked.

And Rocko knew she had to get over there. She wasn't fully recharged, but she could manage. But she couldn't have Cord turning this fight into one of his little arrogant power games.

The Creeper began getting up again, a bit slower but still going, despite the utter mess Sabotage had made of its back. Sabotage didn't seem perturbed that the Creeper could keep fighting after being shot so many times. Rather, he looked cruelly delighted.

"Good." Sabotage said, and slammed his heel across the Creeper's face.

And Buzz Bomb popped out from behind the table he had hidden behind. The chaos and the noise and the collapsing roof and his rather rattled state had all contributed to the long time it had taken his brain to get back into 'booming state', but he had finally managed to finish his ordnance. It was essentially a grenade, albeit for one special feature: instead of a time detonator, it had a combination lock on/proximity detonator. Which basically meant once Buzz Bomb threw it, it would seek out the nearest target due to its arc, close in, and then blow.

"Cord!" Buzz Bomb yelled, as Sabotage took advantage of the Creeper's slowed agility and speed due to the bullet wounds and pummeled the creature, dodging the Creeper's return blows as if they were being thrown by a drunk bum. "Hey Cord! Get down! Move!"

Sabotage heard Buzz Bomb, he just ignored him. He was busy showing why everyone should be listening to him. He was King Badass around these parts, and everyone had damn sure better recognize it.

And then he saw Rocko starting her way over to the fight. His eyes narrowed. That wouldn't do. He was trying to steal her thunder: it'd do him no good if the bitch stole it right back…

His distraction almost allowed the Creeper to tear out his throat. Sabotage cartwheeled and flipped away at the last second, his eyes narrowing.

And spying Buzz Bomb, who was looking at him. Apparently having judged Sabotage to be far enough away, Buzz Bomb pulled the pin of his LO/P grenade and began throwing back his arm.

"No, that won't do." Sabotage said, and his eyes seemed to spark.

And a suddenly surge of weakness hit Buzz Bomb's knee.

"Ahhhh!" He yelled, as he fell backwards…even as his arm continued the process of throwing, hurling the grenade.

But due to Buzz Bomb suddenly starting to fall, the arc was screwed up. Instead of going across the room with minimal height, the bomb flew high into the air, going right over the Creeper…

And coming down behind him.

Right towards Rocko, who looked up.

"Not again."

And unfortunately, the bomb couldn't distinguish friend from foe.

The explosion blew Rocko across the entire room, her entire body breaking apart as she was hurled through the air and into the wall, going right through it as her form collapsed entirely (apparently two in close explosions in such a short length of time was too much), even as the shattered wall collapsed on her, burying her in rubble, as Sabotage and the Creeper recoiled from the blast.

"Ahhhh no!" Buzz Bomb said as he, having gotten up, saw what had happened to his errant grenade.

"Ahhhh that's better." Sabotage said, and turned back to the Creeper.

"What…but how…Cord…did you…AHHHHHHH!" Buzz Bomb said as the Creeper started for him. He ducked back down behind the table.

The Creeper's stalk didn't get too far as Sabotage kicked him in the knee.

"Where you going ugly? Your ass whooping's only half done!"

Buzz Bomb peeked over the table as the Creeper went after Sabotage again, but it was futile: Sabotage screwed up his every move and countered with extreme violence with his martial arts skills. Screwing him up like Buzz Bomb had screwed up. Without intending to. Well, if that was the way Cord wanted it. Buzz Bomb turned around as he opened up his abdomen (which had been removed from his backside and was on the floor next to him): if Cord wanted to screw up his explosives, he'd just build a better one. And with his brain finally ordered, he could do it a lot quicker then the first, even if it wouldn't pack as much a punch. But Buzz Bomb could get around that. If there was one thing he knew, it was the manipulation of explosives.

If Sabotage didn't finish off the Creeper first. And from the way he was wailing on him, that seemed like a distinct possibility.

* * *

To Jinx, the only distinct possibility was that her cranial cavity would very soon be getting an extra hole she really didn't need.

One can only wonder what saved her from such a fate. Perhaps her bad luck abilities, working subtly to protect her by causing 'bad luck' in the Nemesis' choice of attack. Or maybe just plan old dumb luck.

Because the Nemesis didn't pierce her head. Instead, its tentacle wrapped around her shoulders and upper chest and yanked her off her feet with a scream, carrying her backwards as the Nemesis roared and dangled her in the air.

Then the end of the tendril tried to force its way through her head.

Better late then never, one could suppose.

Fortunately, while the Nemesis had grabbed Jinx, it hadn't done so tightly enough to clamp her arms to her side, and as a result Jinx managed to get her hands up and grab the end before it started its little braindrain. This only slowed it down though: the tentacle was horrifically strong.

"SOME HELP!" Jinx screamed.

"Holy FUCK!" Juryrig cursed, unable to believe what he was seeing. While he'd seemed willing to believe it earlier when he'd been discussing what he overheard from Gizmo, seeing and believing was a whole new ball game, as part of his brain refused to accept that here was the Nemesis, live and in person, and wanting to make them all very very dead…starting with Jinx, as Juryrig snapped out of it, snatching up his machine gun even as he animated Duke Nukem off the ground where he had been 'sitting'…and found he couldn't get a clear shot with Jinx being waved around. "Shit!"

"Whatdowedo?" Zippy yelled.

"Uh, attack! No wait, Jinx! I mean…!" Juryrig yelled.

Nightwalker just acted, as he sprang up onto the nearest table and ran alongside it, diving forward onto his hand and then springing off them into a rolling flip in the air, over the Nemesis as he landed on his back.

"Mgruah?" The Nemesis went, as Nightwalker raised up an arm, a long blade snapping from his gauntlet, his computer reader in his helmet having traced the tentacle back to its source, and Nightwalker took advantage as he slashed down and cut deeply into the appendage. The Nemesis growled/roared, even as the tentacle spasmed and released Jinx, who hit the ground and cartwheeled away, even as Nightwalker tried to do likewise…

The Nemesis had his hands up and on the black clad teen before he knew it, the huge fingers like vises, even as the tentacles clawed at his head and chest.

Who saves the saviors?

The blondes.

_"__Enfent de chienne!"_

Platinum Blonde's laced together hands came swinging down like a pile driver as the metal girl leapt off the nearest table and clubbed the Nemesis across the head. The monster staggered, his grip loosening, and then Nightwalker got one arm free and opened up with his orb gauntlet on the Nemesis' face at point blank range. The Nemesis roared as the dense orbs slammed into and tore up its face, and it released Nightwalker, who didn't land quite at gracefully as Jinx had as he nearly landed on his head. The Nemesis was unable to take advantage though, as Platinum Blonde had just punched him in the chest and driven him back some more, Nightwalker rolling away to avoid being crushed by the creature's massive feet.

_"VOUS AVEZ TUE DANNY!"_ Platinum Blonde screamed, as she slammed another punch into the Nemesis' chest. "_Je vais te déchirer en morceaux…!_"

The backhand from the Nemesis would have knocked another man's head clear off, and while it didn't do that to Platinum Blonde it still sent her flying across the room. She slammed into the wall on the other side of the room with a dull metallic ring.

"Antoinette! Ohno!" Zippy said.

"All right…" Juryrig said, as he settled on a strategy, putting his machine gun down to focus completely on his innate talent. "This turns…around…"

As twin braces extended from Duke Nukem's back, arms made of several objects including brooms, kitchen utensils, and empty soda cans, which Juryrig had somehow combined into a fully functioning limb withdrew twin hand guns. Big ones, mostly like .50 Magnum Desert Eagles. And Duke Nukem had more then one set of arms, as another withdrew an 'Urban Sniper' shotgun, a shotgun loaded with slugs, not buckshot, designed to kill with severe stopping power. Another arm extended over Duke Nukem's bucket head, holding a Ruger MP9 submachine gun, and yet another holding a HK MP-5N submachine gun. Fingers made of carefully compacted toothpicks and rubber bands snapped off safeties in a series of clicks.

"NOW!"

And Duke Nukem opened fire with all his weapons, the room filled with terrible noise. Bullets began slamming into the Nemesis at a high rate, most of them designed to taken down a charging rhino. The sheer amount of recoil that so many fired weapons must have emitted was bled off by the fact that Duke Nukem's body wasn't human, that it was braced in such a way that would snap a human spine, and the fact that Juryrig was absorbing a fair chunk of it as well, his eyes squeezed shut as he focused, not hearing Zippy screaming next to him with her hands over her ears, just focusing on firing the guns and destroying whatever stood in front of him.

But the Nemesis was not so easily destroyed, even as the bullets slammed into him, purple blood exploding from thirty different wounds, the damaged tentacle Nightwalker had cut being severed completely by the barrage, one slug glancing off the Nemesis's skull and sending bone chips flying into the air, the Nemesis stood and took it.

And he roared.

"HIVVVVVVE!"

The tentacle flew true, bullets slicing into it but not before it slammed into Duke Nukem's chest. The feedback slammed into Juryrig, who grunted and stumbled, his control slipping, the gunfire slacking off…

Nemesis charged forward, taking the last few shots as it swung out its fist and decapitated Duke Nukem's bucket head. Juryrig yelled, stumbling back, and then the Nemesis brought both fists down on the creation, squashing it flat. Juryrig recoiled and then fell to the ground, much to Zippy's horror.

"Julian!"

"Uhhhhhhh…" The black teen groaned, his brain throbbing with pain. That much firepower would have taken down an APC: what was the Nemesis made of if he could take all that and still fight back, even after he'd assumingly fought to the death with Scorcher?

"Hive…" The Nemesis growled, as he stood there for a moment, clenching and unclenching his hands, and as Zippy watched, the wounds stopped bleeding.

And then the Nemesis was coming for them again, as if nothing had happened, ignoring his injuries, unrelenting in the face of hell…

"…Yahhhhhhh!" Zippy yelled as she snatched up Juryrig's discarded machine gun and ran, opening fire as she ran a tight circle around the Nemesis. Her aim was sloppy, but at such close range that didn't matter, as she hit the Nemesis with bullets from all angles, hoping that maybe that way she might hit something vital…

"Grahhhhh!" The Nemesis snarled, and swung back an arm. "HIVE!"

The tendril extended outward as the Nemesis raked his arm along the ground, and Zippy was going too fast to avoid it, as she tripped over it and flew through the air with a yell, landing on a table top and bouncing once before coming to rest near the end. "Owwwwwwwmyankle!"

"Hive!" The Nemesis said, heading for the injured Zippy.

Spots still swirling in his vision, Juryrig pulled himself to his feet, not knowing what to do. He'd thrown everything he could muster at the monster and it had just continued along like nothing had happened at all. How could he possibly…

"Too much…" He mumbled, turning and heading for the nearest door. "Too…much…"

Zippy saw she was being stalked and rolled off the table…and nearly collapsed. Her ankle hurt too much to put weight on it, but she couldn't run on one leg, and she couldn't stand still, so she tried to hop away, all too aware that the creature was closing in…

Until a spray of orbs raked across its chest and face, stopping the Nemesis as it turned to look at what had attacked it.

"That's it ugly…" Nightwalker said, snapping in a new clip of ammo even as his tracking computer locked on. "Take a good…LONG look."

"Hive!" The Nemesis snarled, heading for Nightwalker.

Who fired true.

The orb slammed into the Nemesis' head and exploded, spraying liquid all over the stapled over eye, liquid that immediately began to hiss and eat into the Nemesis' skull, stopping the monster dead as it roared and clawed at its face.

"Fluoro-antimonic acid motherfucker! How do you like that! 20 quadrillion times the dissolving power of sulfuric acid! It'll eat through anything, INCLUDING YOU!" Nightwalker, and fired off three more shots, splattering more of the extraordinarily powerful corrosive on the Nemesis and making him bellow louder.

"Damn. Wish these things weren't so damn hard to make." Nightwalker cursed as he extracted his empty clip. At least what he had had done the job: the whole right side of the Nemesis' head was starting to melt.

Until it stopped.

"What?"

"Hiveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…" The Nemesis snarled, taking his hands away, even as the acid stopped eating holes in his body.

"Oh you have got to be KIDDING ME!"

"HIVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEE!" The Nemesis howled, charging after Nightwalker, hurling any tables and chairs that got of his way to the side as he thrust up an arm. Nightwalker barely dodged as the tentacle sprang out and then slammed down where Nightwalker had just been, cracking the table in half.

"Oh shit." Nightwalker said, and ran for his life, as the Nemesis pursued with unholy vengeance.

* * *

A look that was mirrored on the Creeper's face, as he once again tried to rip Sabotage's guts out of his body…only to find, once again, his muscle suddenly cramping, or a limb suddenly buckling, as the blow was avoided and then countered, as Sabotage leapt up and swung around, slamming his heel across the Creeper's head and causing the beast to stumble.

"Shoulda just rolled over and given up, fucker." Sabotage said cockily.

The Creeper leapt straight up in the air and tried a sharp dive, but the wings didn't position right and the Creeper swooped over the rolling Sabotage. Landing on his feet, the Creeper turned into a lunging thrust kick that almost made him fall down. Its eyes blazed with wrath: this shouldn't be possible. No stupid kid could treat it like a plaything. But no matter WHAT it did, something went wrong. This kid clearly had powers much like the rock being, powers the Creeper couldn't seem to get around.

He tried anyway, clawing once more.

He missed, and on top of that his hand got stuck in the ground. Sabotage fired off several punches and then axe kicked the Creeper backwards, as he staggered a few steps and then fell to one knee for a second. It was exerting too much. It needed a new strategy…

"Heh." Sabotage said, grinning cockily this time.

And then he spied the movement behind him. Buzz Bomb was back up, and he clearly had another bomb ready. But that didn't matter now: Sabotage had things in the bag. He'd let him toss the bomb and then finish off the monster.

"Hey Cord! MOVE!" Buzz Bomb yelled, and hurled his new grenade, almost exactly like the first one. Except it was somewhat weaker. And a tad more specific in its target.

Sabotage grinned, and then did a full split, the grenade sailing over his head.

The Creeper's eyes widened, as the arc changed and the grenade swooped in…

And went off in the Creeper's face, blowing the monster backwards. Somehow, he stayed on his feet, as he flew back from the impact and landed, half collapsing and half slouching, as the smoke cleared…

Half the Creeper's head was gone, shattered bone and torn muscle poking from the remains as various liquids ran down The Creeper's shoulder and side. The monster seemed more surprised then anything at this sudden change, its eye darting around as if wondering where its head had gone.

Sabotage slid back up to his feet, still grinning cockily. Well, that pretty much sealed the deal. Now he'd stamp it.

So he charged.

As Gizmo finally finished recovering from his head trauma, wiping blood from his face (not his, Burke's, the poor bastard who turned his back on the Creeper) as he saw Sabotage run across the room and leap, slamming a jump kick into the Creeper's chest and knocking him flat. Sabotage landed, smirked, and thrust up a leg, and then brought it down on the Creeper's chest with a resounding, powerful crack.

Dizziness suddenly washed over Gizmo, and he fell to his hands and knees, even as a certain something that he felt needed to be said danced beyond his reach.

"Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" Sabotage said as he removed his foot from the Creeper's shattered ribcage. "Now you know who's in charge around here."

Sabotage didn't turn around: instead he walked backwards before turning his head to face the remaining drones and Flay, who were still down but looked to be recovering.

"See Simon? You should have listened. I'm the big man around here. So either listen or…" Sabotage trailed off as movement stirred where he'd expected there would be none. He turned around to face the Creeper as it tried to get up…and collapsed on its knees, blood and worse leaking from its chest and the shattered ruin it had called a head.

Gizmo watched this through blurry vision.

"My my, tough one aren't we? Guess I'll have to kick your head clean off." Sabotage said, and headed for the Creeper.

"No…Cord…don't…his body isn't like ours…doesn't function the same way…"

The Creeper's systems seemed to have sustained enough damage to start malfunctioning, as the Creeper jerked and spasmed, his hands actually clawing and cutting into his own flesh, scratching frantically at his body as if he had a killer itch. Its shoulders were surprisingly jointed: the Creeper could reach all around the way to its mutilated back…

"Here's your lesson on the way back to movieland. Stay the fuck out of my yard." Sabotage said, and began raising a leg…

As the Creeper's arm suddenly tensed violently and then plunged deeply into the wound on his back, and then to Gizmo's utter horror the Creeper RIPPED HIS OWN SPINE OUT.

And rammed it right into Sabotage's gut.

"……..crud." Was all Gizmo could say.

Sabotage didn't say anything. He just stopped in mid movement, looking down at the wound, and then, as blood began seeping from his mouth, he began making tiny, whiny little noises. What had happened? He was winning? It wasn't fair…

But the Creeper had never played fair.

And despite half of it missing, the look of the Creeper's face could only be described as satisfaction.

As he yanked the spine up, and up, pulling it through Sabotage's body with strength beyond belief and finally pulling it up through his shoulder in a gigantic spray of gore.

The arrogant teen's carcass collapsed, his innate talent having backfired on him. As long at Sabotage had some idea of what was coming, he could screw it up. But his mind lacked imagination: he never could have seen the Creeper performing such an act of self-mutilation as an offensive move. Never, and hadn't. And hence it spelled his end.

Though it looked like it took whatever the Creeper had left with it, as the monster collapsed by Sabotage's body.

For a few moments anyway.

Then the Creeper's hand lifted itself up, tested itself, and then reached over and grabbed the body, pulling it over to him.

Gizmo heard the wet ripping noises as he tried to overcome his concussion, as he remembered two things. One was just what he had tried to say: the Creeper's body wasn't like a human's. It could survive, even act, in ways no natural life form could. As if ripping its own spine out and using it as a weapon in such an extreme way and being able to do it despite literally having no backbone wasn't a big enough cue. To kill it, you needed more then even what had been done to it.

Not that it wasn't feeling the effects of what had been done, but that tied into the second part: the Creeper used humans to feed and for replacement parts. And it could replace a hell of a lot more then an arm.

And Sabotage's body had plenty of material to work with. After all, a human that could combat the Creeper so effectively was truly strong.

Flay only got to see the tail end of the Creeper's self-surgery, as he was helped up by the Hive drones, who clearly had no words for what was going on. Buzz Bomb was cowering behind the table again, apparently wanting nothing to do with a creature that could have half its head blown off and shrug it off.

The Creeper rose from the torn and mangled mess that had once been Sabotage, his back injuries closing up as his body assimilated the new spine it had 'acquired' from its nemesis…even as it lifted Cord's severed head with one hand, using the other to grab what was left of its own…

Flay had never expected to see a man pull his own head off, let alone half a head. It was a sight he could have done without.

The Creeper tossed the ruined remains aside as he placed Sabotage's head on his stump, the flesh around the neck mottling and then spreading up, as Sabotage's bone structure shifted and mutated. Within seconds, the grim face of the Creeper once again looked forth on his targets, his body fully repaired and good as new.

"…Great." Flay said, as he uncoiled two whips. "Well then, I guess I'll have to get nasty."

And he charged, the energy whips humming as Flay lashed them about, ready to bust out a combo that would carve the Creeper into more pieces.

As a thought occurred to Gizmo. The Creeper absorbed flesh, limbs, organs…could he absorb…

Flay suddenly, violently tripped.

Powers! Oh shit!

Flay's great reflexes saved him from being killed by his own whips, as he turned them off in mid air. It didn't prevent him from falling on his face though. The Creeper cocked his head, as if interested in this turn of events, and then went for Flay…

Gunfire erupted around him, as the two remaining drones apparently refused to admit they were overmatched. The Creeper stopped, and then glared at them…

One of their shoulders twitched and caused a chain reaction between the limb and the gun that caused the fire to go wide. Buzz Bomb shrieked as bullets exploded around him and decided he was through hanging around, as he stood up and took to the air, his wings buzzing. He'd…

Just made himself an even bigger target, as the Creeper looked interested and then snapped out its own wings.

"Oh no." Buzz Bomb said, and ran for it, but the Creeper quickly pursued. Buzz Bomb whirled around and began firing lasers from his gauntlet weapons, but the Creeper didn't even need to use the sabotaging power he'd taken from Cord Rayfory to dodge, as it swooped around the lasers.

"Oh come on come on comeoncomeoncomeoncomeon!" Buzz Bomb yelled as he concentrated fire, but the Creeper dodged it all and flew in. "AIIIIAAAAHHHHHH!"

And then metal tendrils lashed around the Creeper's ankles.

"Remember me asshole?" Flense snarled, as his miniature motors whined loudly due to the strain being placed on them, as Flense, finally back up, changed his position and summoned all the strength and power from his apparatus, pulling the Creeper backwards.

"Argh! Gizmo, what do I do!" Flense yelled. Gizmo stared for a second, and then realized that since Gizmo had both identified the problem that had called the Creeper, as well as the Creeper himself, he would know how to kill it.

Which he did, in a sense.

"Its body needs to be totally destroyed! Chopped to ribbons! Pounded to hamburger! It's the only way!"

"Argh, isn't it ALWAYS that!" Flense snarled, and then summoned one final burst of power and slammed the Creeper on the ground, HARD. Flense immediately leapt into the air, several more tendrils emerging from his battle suit that opened to form drills or studded themselves with blades as Flense slashed them down…

As the Creeper sprang away and was in the air again before any of the tentacles got near him. Flense cursed as he landed and tried to lash the Creeper in the air, but the Creeper easily avoided the attacks. Flense looked to be ready to follow up on something, except he suddenly seemed to get a severe stomach cramp. Severe enough that he couldn't mount much of a defense as the Creeper swooped down, claws slashing. The equipment Flense wore saved his life as the Creeper couldn't hit anything vital, but it still threw Flense through the air, where he hit another wall.

"Now I've got you!" Buzz Bomb said, as he swooped in with another grenade…

The Creeper glanced at Buzz Bomb and his left leg suddenly kicked backwards like some kind of reverse reflex test, kicking the abdomen of his robotic bee suit that also served as his jet engine, throwing it off balance and sending him spiraling past the Creeper and down to the ground, where he collided with Flay as he tried to set up his own attack. The grenade fell to the ground, and Gizmo cursed and threw himself flat as it went off, spraying shrapnel.

Nearby, some wreckage stirred.

"Crud." Gizmo said as he got up…and realized that the Creeper's attention had turned to him. "CRUD!"

Gizmo opened fire with his weakened cannon, but it only seemed to annoy the Creeper, as he swooped in and clawed…

A hologram, as Gizmo suddenly became a bunch of Gizmos and began running around and doing as much confusing stuff as possible. It worked, as the Creeper went after the holograms and allowed Gizmo the time to run over to his wrecked spider walker, remove the backpack from it, pull out one segment and insert another, and slip it on before the holograms all disappeared. The Creeper found himself about fifteen feet away from the real Gizmo, as wings snapped out from his backpack and Gizmo flew into the air, slipping his goggles down as his systems came online. If he was the only one who could get it done, then he'd do it…

The Creeper went after him, as Gizmo flew backwards and fired much like Buzz Bomb had. Except Gizmo was much better at firing and shooting, and he had a lock on system to boot.

It still only bothered the Creeper, and it was a lot faster then it looked. Gizmo yelped and dodged away, an inch away from being eviscerated, and as the Creeper whirled and resumed chase at high speed Gizmo abandoned the shooting strategy and just focused on staying alive, frantically trying to keep one step, or one hand, away from the Creeper, who apparently had seen something he liked about Gizmo and was determined to extract it.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh crudddddddddddd!" Gizmo yelled as he zipped and zapped around the gym, going up and down through the roof hole, careful not to crash into the shield but the Creeper was careful also, and he just couldn't lose him…

As Flense stepped out on the floor, wiping blood from his nose. He'd had it. He'd carve that damn Creeper into a million pieces, as he sprang out several tendrils and prepared to go into the air…

As a massive hand thudded on his shoulder. Flense nearly had a heart attack.

"That's already proven not to work." Rocko said. Though she'd put herself back together, the semi-art of her previous form was gone, replaced by crude 'stitches' and scars where Rocko had reassembled herself. Despite the apparent damage though, Rocko didn't seem crippled in any way. Quite the opposite.

"DAMN IT!" Gizmo screamed as he buzzed overhead.

"I'm not leaving him to die!" Flense yelled, pointing.

"Why Oz, I didn't know you gave a damn." Rocko replied.

"Uh, um…look we may need him for something! Just…what do you want!"

"You wouldn't be able to do it anyway. Even if you got him down again, those wings will just get him into the air quicker then you can get down to business." Rocko said.

"Well then Miss Genius, what do YOU suggest?"

"How much can that damn gear of yours lift?"

Gizmo managed to make a little distance by doing a fancy loop and spin, but his jet pack was beginning to run out of power, and the Creeper was tireless, the Creeper was ageless, the Creeper would not stop until it had what it wanted, and it was so close, it could almost taste it…

Gizmo flew on…

And then saw something amazing: a flying Rocko.

Or rather a rising Rocko, hurled by Flense's tendrils, flying up into the air, but Gizmo was already leaving her behind…

And the Creeper was getting reacquainted with her, as Rocko flew up in front of him. The Creeper's eyes widened, and then narrowed as a brief spark of power flashed in them, a stolen talent brought to bear to clear the way…

Only to find out the hard way the limits of the talent: it only worked on organics and anything that was linked to organic functions.

And Rocko was neither.

But the Creeper was fast as hell. He could just go around Rocko…

Not quite.

Rocko exploded, her body of stone suddenly shattering into a hundred pieces, the stones whirling out in a cutting, slashing, destructive field of rock, far too wide to dodge, far too big to avoid, and far too potent to go through without serious effects.

The Creeper flew right into it.

The wounds inflicted were mostly superficial cuts with a few deeper ones. Unfortunately, some of those cuts were on his wing membranes.

The flight design ruined by holes, The Creeper crashed and burned, slamming down into the ground, hard.

And without its wings, it couldn't make a quick getaway, as Rocko reformed from the field she had made, gravity taking over.

The Creeper turned over, trying to push itself up…

And Rocko came crashing down on him, feet first, squashing him underfoot and pinning him to the ground. Blood sprayed up from her impact.

And that was just the beginning, as Rocko brought her arms up and brought them down furiously on the Creeper's upper half, and again, and again.

The Creeper tried one final claw attack.

Rocko grabbed his arm, yanked it off in a spray of gore, and began beating him with the moist end. She did that for about fifteen seconds before she crushed the limb in her hands and returned to her fists. Ribs broke so violently they nearly snapped into the air like rubber bands, organs quickly becoming indistinguishable from each other as the heavy hands of stone crushed them under and into each other. The Creeper's neck twitched, and Rocko's right fist came down on its head so hard the brains squirted across the room like they'd been shot from a toothpaste tube

Flense could only stare in horror as Rocko continued methodically smashing the Creeper into nothing, her rock form becoming covered and then dripping with blood. He glanced to his side, seeing Buzz Bomb staring with pretty much the same expression.

"…I need to go to my room. Restock on…ammo." Buzz Bomb said, and fled.

Rocko didn't notice. She just kept pounding, and pounding, as if she was trying to mash the Creeper's essence right into the floor. Bones were crushed to a gooey, blood slick paste, muscles reduced to so much hamburger.

And Flense realized he was alone. Everyone else had fled the room.

Or so it seemed.

Quite frankly if they had fled, Flense couldn't blame them.

"Rocko…Rocko!" Flense yelled.

Rocko just continued her pounding.

"…Gonna go to the nearest washroom…wash up…be right back…don't go anywhere…" Flense said, sounding stunned, as he turned and left the room.

Rocko finally stopped pounding about twenty-five seconds later. There was no more Creeper. Rocko always made sure she did the job well. She stood up, blood and gore running down her body in rivulets.

"…Well, that's that." Rocko said.

It was then she realized she was alone. She stared at the empty room for a bit, then shrugged and started to walk. She'd tried to guide them. If they wanted to run off on their own, that was their choice. She just needed to find the other Elementals and get the hell out of this madhouse.

Everyone else…

Rocko stopped by what had once been Sabotage. Her eyes showed no sympathy.

"…Pitiful man." Rocko said, and left the room.

Much to Flense's surprise when he returned several seconds later. Had Rocko not heard him?

Of course she hadn't.

That was the way the rules worked.

* * *

At least Flense's threat had been thoroughly obliterated. The one chasing Nightwalker was no less indestructible and mad beyond belief, smashing everything in its path to get its hands on the teen, occasionally shooting a tentacle out to try and grab him as well, though Nightwalker demonstrated eyes on the back of his head by dodging them. But he was rapidly running out of leg room. In fact in about four seconds he was about to hit the wall.

And the Nemesis was right on his tail, oh so fast despite its size…

"HIVE!"

But Nightwalker had too much experience in being obstinate to even consider giving up.

And he didn't, as he leapt onto the final table and continued going as his dead sprint, timing the pumping of his arms to snatch new clips of ammo out of his belt and snap them into his gauntlets, as he reached the end of the table…

As the Nemesis grabbed it and flipped it to the side.

The table overturned under Nightwalker's feet, but that didn't matter because he was in the air, leaping at the wall at a precise angle…

His feet brushed up against it, as Nightwalker used the previous half-second before gravity kicked in to run, just a bit, farther up the wall.

And then he kicked off, hurling himself backwards in a high angle flip, flying over the Nemesis' head as it looked up to follow him, raised an arm to grab him…

Marble orbs slammed into its face, Nightwalker firing in mid flip and firing well, the projectiles aggravating its still healing acid injuries and interrupting its attempted grab, as Nightwalker landed on the ground behind the Nemesis, lost his balance, and fell, rolling away as the Nemesis growled from the latest sting the insects had delivered. But it was already turning around, even as Nightwalker scrambled to his feet, trying to get some distance.

"Hivvvveeeee!" The Nemesis roared, already closing in, so horrifically fast, swinging out a hand…

That a metal hand intercepted, stopping the punch with one of its own, and stopping it dead, a low wet crack sounding from the limb. The Nemesis roared.

"Forget me? _Pitié._" Platinum Blonde said, and shoved the Nemesis backwards, much to its great shock. Nightwalker decided any port in a storm would do and made tracks across the room.

And nearly ran into Juryrig, who was walking slowly across the room, using tables and chairs to keep himself steady. Oddly, he didn't seem focused on the battle. His eyes seemed far away.

"Julian! If you have a plan, we could use it now!" Nightwalker said.

"…Huh?" Juryrig replied.

"Plan of action! I don't really want this to turn into a battle of attrition, we'll lose!"

"…Too much…" Juryrig whispered, as he walked past Nightwalker.

"Hey! Aren't you deputy leader or something? Lead!"

"Can't…not with…too much…" Juryrig said, as his pace picked up, and Nightwalker realized he was heading for the nearest door. Leaving.

Strangely, Nightwalker didn't try to stop him. He figured there was no point.

A tentacle went for Platinum Blonde, but she slapped it aside and slammed her fist forward, punching right through the Nemesis' stomach. It roared as purple blood sprayed out, soaking the metal teen: normally she would have been utterly disgusted but at the moment she was too angry to give a damn. She yanked her fist out, dodged under the Nemesis' overhead clothesline blow, and kicked him in one of his knees, earning another dull crack.

"Hey Julian! What are you doing!" Jinx yelled, suddenly beside Nightwalker. She was about to go after him when Nightwalker grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Forget it. Too much training and not enough experience. He's cracked under the pressure. He's useless to us." Nightwalker said.

"What? Then who's going to…"

The Nemesis roared as its hand shot forward, grabbing Platinum Blonde around the head before she could react, lifting her up and slamming her into the floor so hard the room shook, and then pitching her across the wrecked cafeteria where she smashed into the debris of two tables.

"Well you're a graduate, didn't YOU take leadership courses?" Nightwalker said as the Nemesis turned its attention back to them.

"Um, uh…we always…were more follow the leader types."

The Nemesis started for them.

"Better adapt fast." The would-be vigilante said as he inserted another ammo pack (good thing he'd stocked up when he'd fetched another helmet from his room).

"I…" Jinx said, her eyes darting around, trying to think of what she could do…and then her eyes settled on the ceiling.

"Hey! Think you can blow a chunk of that out?" Jinx said.

"Maybe not, but no sense arguing!" Nightwalker replied as he snapped up his arm and fired a spray of shots, punching through the old, soft concrete and rock, weakening a section.

"HIVE!" The Nemesis bellowed, charging.

And Jinx reached up as her eyes glowed pink. Pink energy flashed on the section, and then it broke off. In a very specific way, the stone cracking apart to form a crude point as the stone dipped downward, a makeshift stalactite, plummeting to earth.

And landing on the Nemesis.

The impact nearly drove the giant creature to its knees, the huge stone dagger piercing deep into the Nemesis' body at the shoulder, blood exploding up in massive geysers.

"Hivvvvveeee…" The Nemesis murmured, as it seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

"…Huh. That wasn't so hard." Jinx said.

The Nemesis tensed up.

"You just HAD to talk didn't you?" Nightwalker replied.

"HIIIVVVVVVEEEEE!" The Nemesis roared, standing back up as it lifted its lone working arm, the tentacles wrapping around the stalactite and yanking it free, more purple blood fountaining up so hard it nearly hit the ceiling. The Nemesis dropped the rock and began flexing its injured arm, as the blood flow slowly cut off and stopped.

"This is RIDICULOUS! It just recovers from whatever we throw at it! What killed it in the game?" Nightwalker asked.

"A nuke." Jinx replied.

"…Wish I hadn't asked. Where's Zippy?"

"She hurt her ankle. She's taking cover behind a table and trying to fix it."

"Great, down to us then." Nightwalker said as the Nemesis finished its self-repair and started heading for the two again.

"Not quite." Jinx said, seeing something from her angle Nightwalker didn't.

Platinum Blonde leapt onto the Nemesis' back, not saying anything, just yelling incoherently as she slammed her fist repeatedly into the creature's head. The Nemesis stopped once more, grabbing for Platinum Blonde, finally getting her in a tentacle and yanking her off his back, slamming her into the ground and forcing Nightwalker and Jinx to dive for cover. The tentacle coiled around and rammed into Platinum Blonde's shoulder, trying to drill its way through the metal covering in hopes the organs were more prone to damage. Nightwalker didn't know if it was working, but Platinum Blonde suddenly starting to scream in pain indicated that it probably was. As blood began to leak from her shoulder, the tentacle probed even harder…and then Platinum Blonde got a good grip on it, rolled up to her knees, and yanked with all her might, pulling the Nemesis forward and right into her leaping, cracking punch, shattering several of the creature's teeth and actually knocking it off its feet, the tentacle tearing out of its body as it flew away. Platinum Blonde threw it on the ground and stomped on it, and then with a yell of rage and disgust she charged in, slamming into the rising creature with her shoulder and pummeling it with fists of steel.

Until the creature swung out an arm and something sprayed from it, splattering on Platinum Blonde's face and chest. She recoiled, screaming, as smoke rose from her, and that gave the Nemesis all the time it needed to smash her with a tentacle and send her flying through the kitchen doors, breaking them off its hinges. A yowl came from within, and a second later Mittens ran out, apparently deciding that while it could snack through all the racket going on outside it couldn't do so when the outside so rudely intruded on his world. Mittens ran in the direction he was going until he saw the Nemesis, at which he turned away and headed in the exact opposite direction, fleeing the room unnoticed by anyone: Nightwalker and Jinx were too focused on their monstrous foe and vice versa.

"Damn. Acid." Nightwalker said.

"Hey! You can't shoot acid until your final form! That's cheating!" Jinx yelled.

"Hive!" The Nemesis growled, heading for them.

"All right Jinx, you know the game. How do we kill him?"

"Got a rail cannon?"

"No."

"Then I'm at a loss."

"Great."

"We could try cutting off his head."

"By that you mean just remove it by any means necessary, right?"

"Right." Jinx said, as her hands glowed pink. "Hey ugly! Try and keep up!"

"Actually, don't." Nightwalker said, and the two went into a gymnastics display that would have made some Olympic gold medallists go green with envy, leaping and flipping around as they fired repeatedly at the Nemesis. All they did was piss it off again.

"Well bugger." Nightwalker said as the Nemesis roared, and lashed out with its tentacles.

Zippy peaked up from behind the table she was hiding behind, giving her ankle one final squeeze as she found she could put weight on it again. Of course, that didn't mean she could run…

Nightwalker backflipped over a punch and fired several shots into the Nemesis' head: too concentrated, as the eruption of blood splattered all over the teen. Though he said nothing, the slight noise he made indicated he was clearly disgusted as hell. Not for long though, as the Nemesis was on the attack again like nothing had happened. Nightwalker tried to dodge another tentacle whip as he fired once more…and his luck ran out as he was caught broadside, hurled through the air and flying into Zippy. That seemed to be happening a lot.

"Shit!" Jinx cursed as she flipped backwards, firing her hexes, but they weren't doing anything and the Nemesis was after her…

And then it's tentacle struck her, albeit not as fiercely as it had Nightwalker, but enough to throw her backwards anyway. She hit the ground and slid several feet…

And stooped at a pair of feet. Three pairs, to be precise.

And they weren't human. They were composed of chair legs and steel bands, and Jinx looked up to see the legs flowing into a large but sparse body of sorts that only had one purpose: tightly gripping a giant circle of glass like it was a giant eye.

It took Jinx a second to place it: The laser lense. Once planned to be placed in a giant energy cannon, now brought here.

Juryrig stepped out from behind his creation, no longer looking rattled and afraid, but calm and in control.

"Sorry. Had to go fetch something." Juryrig said. "I tend to zone out in deep thought. I have to work on that."

"HIVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEE!" The Nemesis bellowed, charging at the two. Juryrig didn't blink.

"Ahhhhh!" Jinx said, scrambling to her feet. "It's too close!"

"Yes. A position change is needed." Juryrig said, and gestured. The laser lense walker ran to the side, while Juryrig ran the other way, Jinx with him. The Nemesis pursued, despite Jinx's tossing of hex blasts.

"I might have miscalculated." Juryrig said, looking worried now, as the Nemesis closed in.

And then they were suddenly across the room, away from the Nemesis.

"Better late then never." Zippy said as she put them down. Nightwalker hopped down next to the group.

"HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Might still be too late!" Jinx yelled as the Nemesis didn't slow down a step, rapidly chewing up the distance once again.

And then a metal figure flew through the air and slammed her interlocked hands down on the back of the Nemesis' head, knocking him forward and onto the ground.

"You ruined my dress, _tu __bâtard!_" Platinum Blonde yelled as she stomped on the creature's head. The Nemesis swiped at her, but she scurried out of the way.

"You might want to stand to the side." Juryrig said, as he gestured with an outstretched arm, and what looked like a caterpillar creature scrambled across the room and to Juryrig. As it got closer, Jinx realized it was made completely of flashlights.

Which leapt through the air, blurring as they reassembled themselves, and landed in Juryrig's hand, a crude base formed with a few wood pieces allowing him to hold onto the massed flashlights like a gun. Jinx's eyes widened. The laser lense operated by taking light and focusing it so it grew more concentrated and destructive, like a magnifying glass on steroids, but that was under controlled conditions and short bursts. This was neither.

"Julian! That much light will burn a hole through the whole damn base!"

"As long as it burns a hole through that damn Nemesis I can live with that…!" Juryrig said as he lifted the flashlight gun up…and found the Nemesis back up and charging.

"HIVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

A foot slammed into the creature's knee, loudly dislocating it. Platinum Blonde didn't hang around: she immediately turned and ran for it, as Juryrig's eyes narrowed.

All the flashlights turned on in a rapid staccato of clicks.

"Let there be light." Juryrig said, and aimed the beam at the laser lense.

"Hivvvvveeeee…" The Nemesis snarled as it got up, as a low hum built in the air, as the specially designed glass seized the light and began a complicated series of refractions and alterations, rapidly multiplying its power, a glow shining in the center.

"HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

A glow that erupted outward, filling the whole room with blinding brilliance, everyone covering their eyes and turning away, even as the beam struck the Nemesis, transfixed him in place, and ripped his final bellow from his throat as the superconcentrated laser burned the flesh from his bones and the bones to nothingness, his silhouette vanishing under the all consuming gaze.

The blast flew on and burned through several walls behind the Nemesis before the laser lense finally cracked, not designed to handle such light. The gigantic beam faded and then disappeared entirely as Juryrig turned off his flashlight gun.

"Well, at least it'll be Blood who kills me for breaking that." Juryrig said, as he tossed the flashlight gun aside and wandered off, clearly a bit dazed from the brilliance.

"Julian? Where are you?" Jinx said, trying to blink past the whiteness that had consumed her whole vision.

Platinum Blonde popped up from where she had dove and made her way to where the Nemesis had been. All that remained was a smoking pair of feet and lower legs, everything else blasted to nothingness.

"Heh. Talk about dying with your boots on." Platinum Blonde said, as she kicked at the legs.

"There's something left?" Jinx said as her sight began to clear.

"Just a bit of the lower part." Nightwalker said.

"It's not moving, is it?" Jinx asked.

"No. Why?" Platinum Blonde asked.

"Something about the game. The Nemesis was created not by complete biological development from scratch but partially by injecting a parasite into a prepared host base…"

And a hideous worm like creature suddenly appeared on Platinum Blonde's shoulder, tiny tendrils seizing onto the wound there as it sought entrance, as she screamed in surprise…

A gunshot rang through the room as the parasite was blown off Platinum Blonde's shoulder. The shock was so great Platinum Blonde lost strength in her legs and sat down.

Juryrig didn't say anything to here, as he moved past the sitting teen, the smoking magnum he had retrieved from the body of Duke Nukem held steady, aimed at the squirming, mewling parasite on the ground.

"Just…"

BLAM!

"Fucking…"

BLAM!

"Die!"

BLAM BLAM BLAM!

The parasite jerked once more and then was still, melting into a small pool of disgusting liquid.

"…And here I was thinking you were running away earlier." Nightwalker said, as Juryrig lowered the gun.

"I was trying to remember where everything I needed was, because nothing we were doing was working." Juryrig said. "Too much power. But I knew something with more. But as I said, I tend to zone out when I'm concentrating."

"Whatyouthinkitseasytogetaheadgraduatetitle?" Zippy asked.

"I never did." Nightwalker replied.

"Hey!"

"The legs are vanishing." Platinum Blonde said where she was still sitting.

"What?" Juryrig said, stopping his walk.

Platinum Blonde pointed to where the remains of the Nemesis were fading away, disappearing within seconds.

"…The same thing happened when I killed that Billy Snowman. His body just vanished." Jinx said.

"Where did it go?" Platinum Blonde asked.

"Why are you asking me?"

"Of course, my mistake."

"Stop it." Juryrig said, as he headed back over to the remains of Duke Nukem and began hunting through it for another weapon. "Now let's assess what kind of situation we're dealing with here. What we appear to be dealing with are a bunch of monsters from fiction coming after us to make us fucking dead. And I don't want to hear…" Juryrig yanked the Urban Sniper shotgun from the remains. "That horror monsters can't come to life…" He retrieved a box of ammo. "Because I sure as hell didn't believe that horror monsters could come to life, and what we have just experienced is clearly a case of horror monsters coming to fucking life!" He slammed in one shell and then another. "Does anyone have any suggestions due to our accepting of this fact?"

"I say we just get out of here, find whoever we can and make like a tree." Platinum Blonde said, getting up.

"Iconcur."

"Works for me." Nightwalker said.

"Good. Now guys, I know that what just happened was stressful to say the least, but we have to keep our guard up. We have no idea what's around the corner. So keep your eyes peeled, and expect anything…"

Except the thing that actually happened, as a gigantic wave of heat suddenly washed over the room. Everyone recoiled.

"What was…that…" Nightwalker said as he looked at Juryrig.

The teen stood there, looking like someone had hit him over the head with a frying pan. He blinked once.

"…No…"

And then he fell forward onto his face.

Everyone gasped in horror as they saw his back, utterly roasted to a crisp, his exposed spine burnt black as coal. He was dead.

And someone was standing behind him, hunched over, one arm out, hair over her face, waves of heat coming off of her.

"………………..Danny?" Zippy said.

Scorcher stumbled forward, the ground melting under her feet, Juryrig's body beginning to smoke from the sheer heat coming off of her.

"…Scorcher? You survived? Are you…?" Nightwalker said, before he caught a look at Jinx's horrified face. As she remembered one final detail about the Nemesis.

"Noooooo…" She whispered.

Scorcher looked up. What had once been a pretty face was now a ruin, a giant hole in the upper right side of her skull, her eye crushed, blood painted down her face and side. She was, like Juryrig, dead.

Except she was still walking around. The Nemesis had turned her into a zombie.

"…Danny." Platinum Blonde said.

Zombie Scorcher shrieked in some terrible, unknowing pain.

And then the whole room exploded.

* * *

And someplace else entirely.

"AUUUUUUUUUUUGAHHHHHHHHHH!"

"I told you not to bet three month's wages Miss Styles."


	6. Loss

Part 6: Loss

Fire, a force of life and death, purifying everything it touches into clean ash.

But there was no life in this fire, wielded by the hand of the walking dead. And perhaps that made all the difference.

For fire needs three things to survive. Oxygen. Heat. And fuel. And in an explosion of pure fire, lacking any concussive or kinetic force, a room that was mostly filled with stone and steel didn't have much in the way of fuel.

It found some though, like the smashed tables and chairs.

And Jinx's dress.

Time slowed down to a crawl for Jinx, as she was suddenly aware of incredible heat, all over her, and she realized she was burning: her arms, her legs, even her hair, and while she felt no pain she knew it was only a matter of seconds before the fire fully seized on her to devour her flesh, and she began to scream…

And the orb slammed into her back, and she was engulfed in choking white dust, and she collapsed to her knees, her violent coughs keeping her from realizing that the heat was gone, her eyes stinging with tears as the dust got into them. Coughing, saltwater running down her face, she wiped at her eyes, her vision blurring.

"You all right?" Said a voice next to her. Nightwalker. She looked at the black clan teen, whose armored outfit was smoking, his glass helmet face smeared with soot. But he looked better she did in her flame-eaten outfit, as she blinked at him.

"…You saved me."

"Yeah."

"You had a fire control orb?"

"Yes?"

"Why?"

"I don't much care for fire." Nightwalker replied, and left it at that. "We have a serious problem."

Indeed, as Jinx remembered what had caused the explosion, as she looked back at the figure across the room. Scorcher had not moved, her arms now limp at her sides, her body hunched and her hair, normally a proud mane of fire, now just a few sputtering flames among red hair stained with burned blood, hanging over her face. Apparently the explosion had stunned her in some way.

"…Oh no. Scorcher."

"Yeah. Scorcher. One of the most powerful members of this place…newly zombified by our late 'friend'." Nightwalker said grimly. "Shit. Why didn't you tell me the Nemesis could do that?"

"I…well…forgot." Jinx said: she had played the games, but not much. Most of her free time was spent working on her spells, or pigging out, and recently pondering certain feelings…

Which she couldn't think of now: terrible danger was in front of her.

"We seem to have some luck: if that had been an actual attack from the Scorcher we knew, we'd be nothing but blackened bones." Nightwalker said, pawing at his belt, even as he lamented how few clips of ammo he had left. "Being turned into…THAT has severely damaged her focus. See how the ground's smoking and melting underneath her? Heat's pouring off her body: she can't keep it reigned in. Poor Julian must have been in the wrong place at the wrong time to catch a blast that actually had some solidity behind it. But we can't help him now, we have to help ourselves." Nightwalker said, arming up his gauntlets with the little he had left. "However, that's another problem, as you might be able to tell by the reactions of our two friends."

Jinx stared for a moment, then glanced over to where she remembered Zippy and Platinum Blonde being. Strangely, what amazed her was that Platinum Blonde's dress still held up enough to keep from exposing her, considering it had been battered, given an acid bath, and then exposed to a fire explosion. Her arms were smoking badly though. And that was just the least of her problems: she looked like someone had hit her in the gut with an aircraft carrier. Jinx spied Zippy at the far end of the room, where she had presumably run to avoid the flames (guess her ankle fixed up quickly), and while the distance prevented accuracy Jinx could tell she looked the same, if not worse.

And she couldn't blame them. Scorcher was just a teacher to her, a fairly nice girl. But she'd been leading the other two women in the room for years. They were virtually family. And now their family was being ripped apart by cruel hands. First Floral, and now Scorcher…and they couldn't even let Scorcher rest in peace.

"Llarenes."

Jinx looked over to Nightwalker.

"I don't know if it's my authority to give orders, but I have somewhat of a plan. Since you are a graduate and I am far from one, I will gladly hear out any plans you have. But I suggest you speak them fast, because she looks like she's just about done standing around." Nightwalker said. Jinx's eyes widened, and she looked back at Scorcher, who had stood up straighter.

One foot left the ground, trailing small drip tendrils of metal, as she started to walk.

"…What's your idea?" Jinx asked.

"Well uh…distract her."

"WHAT?"

"Use your agility! You're not dealing with Danielle any more! You're dealing with a dull-minded puppet master intertwined with misfiring synapses tied into Scorcher's base animal instincts! It can't strategize or plan ahead, just act! Use that!"

"Why me?"

"Because I need to see if our allies are." Nightwalker said, putting emphasis on the last word to indicate he wanted to see if they could actually fight considering the situation, and then leapt up onto an overturned table and away from Jinx. Jinx stared after him, then looked back at Scorcher.

"But…"

Scorcher's eyes flashed, and a blast of fire exploded at her feet and took off across the floor at Jinx, who yelped and cartwheeled to the side. The fire blast kept going until it slammed into the wall, something Jinx knew Scorcher would never do: she could easily turn the blast around and keep it heading after Jinx. Her brain really was scrambled all to hell. So she could follow Nightwalker's plan and distract the undead pyrokinetic.

Or she could do the smart thing and run away.

Why not? She wasn't a hero, who had teams built on friendship and trust and bonds, and who would fight to the death for each other on the strength of those connections. Hell, she wasn't even with Gizmo and Mammoth, and she couldn't stand those guys at times. She was with three strangers, two of whom were former heroes and would have kicked her butt if given a chance if they'd met four months ago, and a masked newcomer who didn't have a name, never showed his face, and kept dropping cryptic comments about his past!

Why hang around and court death?

In the end, Jinx never did find an answer to that question. She just acted.

Scorcher's sole remaining eye, dull and bloodshot, barely seemed able to see, let alone fix on a target, but as Jinx leapt in close, it seemingly did just that, as Scorcher slashed her arm out and fired several fireballs. Earlier, Jinx had lamented that body changes had screwed up her once great agility: now she realized that with the situation as bad as it was, a new body shape didn't really matter all that when it came to saving one's rear, as she managed to dodge the blasts, and then, in a move she had to remind herself to do because she'd gotten into the habit of NOT doing it because it never seemed to work, she fired a hex blast at Scorcher, striking the table next to her and flipping it onto the woman's head.

It didn't burn to ash, at first anyway, as the table slammed onto her head and shoulders and nearly drove Scorcher down (as well as making her head shift in a highly unpleasant way), before Scorcher let out a snarling scream and the table was blasted off her and thrown several feet away. Jinx dove behind another table and scrambled away on her hands and knees as Scorcher turned another flame burst on it, continuing to burn the arena long after Jinx had escaped, like she was a skipping record that couldn't move forward.

Nightwalker wasn't feeling too confident as he got in close to Platinum Blonde: if anything her look of utter shocked horror had only increased. Nightwalker likened it to walking into a room and seeing your mother pouring bleach down your baby sister's throat: the utter surrealist nature of the deed mixed with the absolute horror that things have gone bad, real real bad, and it will never be the same.

"If you're not going to fight, leave now." Nightwalker said.

"…What?"

"She's dead. We can't change that. All we can do is fight for our own survival. So make up your mind now."

"But…"

"NOW."

"…I can't."

"Then leave."

"No you don't understand, I CAN'T. She generates too much heat. She'll melt me before I can…do…anything…"

Nightwalker's reply was cut off when Scorcher's blast of fire went over Jinx and kept turning, and Nightwalker yelled and dove behind a table, yanking Platinum Blonde with him just in case she was too shocked to do it herself (the fact that he had been able to move her indicated that she probably wasn't). Deciding that Platinum Blonde seemed to know the drill, Nightwalker got up as Jinx distracted Scorcher with another hex blast and bounded over to Zippy.

She looked like a lost cause though, on the verge of her brain shutting down.

"You have to fight." Nightwalker said.

"But…it's Danny…" Zippy replied, and her words chilled Nightwalker: if she was in such shock that she was actually speaking at a normal speed…

"No it's not."

"…She took us in…when the world threw us out…gave us a home, a purpose…a family…why…why has…"

Nightwalker grabbed Zippy by the front of her shirt and yanked her forward.

"SHE'S. DEAD." Nightwalker snarled. "And if you just stand there, you will be as well. Maybe I didn't know her as well as you, but I know that SHE WOULDN'T WANT THAT."

Zippy stared into his blank helmet front, and while Nightwalker wasn't exactly ready to declare her a lost cause, he also had a feeling she was way too rattled to do anything at the moment.

"All right then. R…"

And then with the sudden buzz of an alarm, the lone remaining door that lead out of the room suddenly slammed shut.

"What the…what the hell!" Nightwalker cursed as he ran over to the door, rapidly hammering at the keypad and getting no results. "No! How! You fucking…ARGH!" Nightwalker said, and kicked the door.

A wave of heat washed over his back, even as he heard Jinx scream a warning, and he whirled.

Scorcher was there, approaching fast and heading straight for him, cutting him off.

Nightwalker cursed and opened fire with both gauntlets.

The orbs exploded a foot from Scorcher, shattering into tiny pieces of ash that scattered around the pyrokinetic as she loomed. The gauntlets clicked dry.

"…Damn." Nightwalker said.

The flash of fire lit up Scorcher's entire skull, as she raised one hand, emitting a wordless noise of wrath and agony.

* * *

And now another annoying pause. 

"You would think, considering that this was a temporary base, that the layout would be simple." Said one of the Hive drones, one of the two survivors of the Creeper attack. When Rocko had been pummeling the Creeper to mush, Flay had decided that the battle was won and he should seek some medical attention for his deep cheek cut. But he had said he was going to get it…so where was everyone?

They hadn't heard him, of course. The essence was now deep within the Hive base, and workings its particular 'charms' to ensure certain things. Like the group that had fought the Creeper being split up. It was also what had assumingly closed the door behind Mammoth and Shimmer and the only exit for Nightwalker and co. Bad enough to have to fight monsters, but against such a malevolent force that wanted outcomes to be as bad as possible, things were looking bleak. Of course, Flay couldn't put those feelings into words: they were only musings in the dark parts of his subconscious.

So the only ones in the medical room were Flay and the two drones, one of who was patching up Flay's cheek with the rudimentary military medicine he had been trained in. The Hive had several doctors, but they also doubled as warriors in a lockdown and hence had run off when the initial alarm had run. Who knew where they were now, or even alive? So Flay was stuck with the drone, who he believed was called Patrick, the other drone looking at the map being Shane. Flay found their real names easier to remember then their code numbers, which is how Blood and the HIVE students usually referred to them.

"You'd think that, but you know Blood. He just can't live and work in a dump, even if it's to build a better base." Patrick replied, as he carefully pulled the medical thread through another part of the wound. Flay winced: odds were this was going to scar. Well, he could live with scarring: he wasn't vain.

"At least it's clearly marked." Shane replied, as he traced over the map with a pencil. The Hive base was pretty much laid out as such: on one end (the right end on the map's case, as that was where Flay and his 'friends' were) were dormitories, which included the medical room Flay was in, then the recreation rooms, which were scattered in among the 'small' storage rooms, which held stuff like the backup food supplies and all the random nick-nacks that the school needed. The school then bled into the massive classroom/training area section, which had a few dozen different rooms and the center of which was the old clock tower which still worked and provided an efficient punishment when Blood wanted someone to clean and oil the gears. It then moved into the other storage area, which had some smaller stuff (Including the current food that would be used by the cafeteria) but was mostly massive rooms dug out of the earth to hold the giant part of the still being build Hive air base: engines, weapon parts, and the like. Some of these rooms were essentially bridges over massive piles of machinery that probably would be dangerous to place in a normal storage area. Past that were the cafeteria and then the other dormitory wing. Scattered around these main areas were smaller rooms that performed special purposes, including Blood's office and personal quarters and the ones holding the computers that monitored the Hive base's defenses. Including the computer that had sent up the shield that kept locked in with the monsters.

Problem was, Flay had no idea where or which one it was, and neither did the two drones. But if they knew where ALL of them were, they could at least save some time searching. Which would hopefully keep them from running into someone or someTHING else.

Well, Flay'd be ready at least. As soon as he was stitched up he was heading for his room and grabbing every last whip he could comfortably carry (which was a lot).

Of course, new problems kept presenting themselves…

"There." Patrick said, snipping off the last bit of thread with scissors. "Not the cleanest job, but they shouldn't tear…hopefully."

"Thanks." Flay said, as he got off the doctor's table/bed and picked up his long coat. "Now what do we do?"

"You're the H.A.E.Y.P member. Technically we take orders from you." Shane said. Flay blinked.

"Um well…uh……….uh…" Flay stammered.

He was saved from having to make a decision when a loud knock on the door came. Immediately Shane and Patrick had their guns up, Flay's whip swiftly joining them as they aimed at the door.

Which opened.

"A monster wouldn't KNOCK, moron." Flense said as he walked in. Flay relaxed a bit, as a few more Hive drones followed Flense in.

"Well I didn't know that."

"You don't know much Simon."

"Hey! Shove it Oz!"

"Why don't I shove…"

The argument was interrupted as one of the Hive drones that had followed Flense in fired a brief burst into the ceiling.

"Stop it. We don't need to be fighting amongst ourselves." The drone, a female, said. "Now Flense, you said you could tell us what was going on, and I'm tired of waiting. So start."

"Hey, don't…"

"JUST. START." The female snapped, a laser point appearing on Flense's forehead. The teen grumped.

"All right, this is just what I've heard, don't blame me if you don't believe it." Flense said, and narrated what Gizmo had said and what Flense himself had observed, Flay occasionally chiming in.

"And that's the truth, so help us." Flense said, as he snapped out several metal coils and began to examine them.

"…All right." The female said: she was apparently the leader. "Seeing how I lost most of my unit to…SOMETHING, and how messy it was…maybe you're right. This is a very strange world you children inhabit."

"Gee, ya noticed?" Flense said.

"Oz what's your problem?" Flay asked.

"My problem is you guys don't have a bigger problem with this bullshit!"

"You're still having doubts? What just tried to kill you? What killed Leonard?" Flay said. Flense didn't reply.

"I said stop arguing." The female said. "All right, let's accept this then. If horror monsters are coming to life, which ones and how many?"

"I have no idea." Flense groused. "I tried taking a look at what was left of the TV's and videos, but it was all melted together: couldn't make out details. But there had to be at LEAST eight films there. If we count Flay's little encounter with the psycho who killed Seymore, we've only seen three. And that's only if my guess is accurate, which I doubt it is."

"All right then. What's your orders?"

"Why are you asking ME?"

"We have to find Gizmo." Flay said. "He was the one who built the shield that's got us trapped, he's probably the only one who can shut it down. The problem is I have no idea where he is."

"Is his room in this area?" Shane asked, looking at the map.

"No. It's across the school. Of course nothing could be that easy." Flense snarked.

"All right then. We go find Gizmo." The female said.

"Hang on. I want to get some more weapons. Flense, you might want to do the same."

"Hell no, I'm fine."

"Flense this is no time for arrogance. You saw where that got Cord. If you have any more ordnance, I suggest you get it." Flay said.

"All right, all right." Flense said. "Hell we run into any more monsters you can just nag them to death…"

"Is anyone listening? STOP FIGHTING." The female said. "I hate to presume my authority is higher then yours, compared to the way Blood treats us, but this little 'anti-miracle' for lack of a better term has already claimed the lives of most of my squad and who knows how many of yours."

"Seemore, Private Hive, and Sabotage are confirmed. For all we know the rest of them might also be dead." Flense said.

"Let's hope Gizmo isn't." Flay said, heading for the door. "Because he's probably our only way out of this place."

"If there's any way out at all." Flense said. "I know bad things Simon. They don't let go easy."

The Hive drones took point, as Flense and Flay stayed back. Finding nothing, the group started heading down the hall. They quickly reached Flay's room, and he disappeared inside.

"Hurry up! We're sitting ducks out here!" Flense snapped.

Never realizing that while he was speaking, down the hallway that led to another T-junction, a figure had stepped into view, stopping in plain sight, looking down the hall, watching, gauging.

Blood dripped from his weapon.

Flense suddenly felt the skin on the back of his neck prickle up. He whirled…

…Nothing.

Flense stared, then decided he was just paranoid and turned back around.

As the figure walked on, having decided for some reason to leave them alone.

Or maybe something drove him toward…other prey.

* * *

Yeah, they didn't let go easy. A similar though had run through Gizmo's head all the way across the base, sneaking in the shadows, using his damaged cloaking device to hide himself when he could, scared out of his mind that something else would emerge and his lone remaining weapon, a spit and bindle wire device if there ever was one, would just provide something for the monster to pick his teeth with when it was done swallowing Gizmo whole. 

Mikron O'Jeanus hated feeling that way. Such fear was supposed to have been left back in the middle ages, when people started realizing you couldn't sail off the edge of the world into the mouths of monsters and diseases weren't caused by demons. Intelligence should dispel such fear, at the very least keep it under control, keep it from ruling one's mind.

Of course intelligence also suggested movies did not come to life, that the Creeper was an actor named Jonathon Breck and some stuntmen under heavy makeup, that if you blew half a living being's head off the only thing it did was promptly die. All those had just been proven to be false, and hence the fear had returned. And Gizmo hated it.

But he'd made it. He's crossed the no-mans-land his base had become and made it all the way to his room, which thank god opened with the punched in code.

Gizmo swiftly got to work. Within two minutes he had constructed a sentry cannon from several raw parts lying around and pointed it right at his door. If anything wanted to break through, it would regret it. Then Gizmo had methodically gone through all his gear and equipment as he began to assemble the optimum killing arsenal. Normally Gizmo carried a mixed back of gear, but in this case a jack-of-all-trades would be swiftly sent to the card graveyard, to combine terms from two games. Not now. Gizmo would show them the only thing his shortness provided was easy aim at their kneecaps. And if they didn't have any he'd just aim higher.

Good thing he'd learned to microtize his gear. Let him carry more stuff, as he swiftly fixed his backpack and reworked his systems into a walking arsenal. Clicking the final parts into place, he swung his backpack back on and began filling up his pockets with the needed parts. After pondering for a bit, he grabbed a special remote control he'd had lying around and tucked it into an upper arm pocket. What it controlled might be useful. He left what remained neatly laid out in case he did run into something and needed more ammo or gear later.

Gizmo opened the door from a distance so his sentry cannon would blast anything that might be waiting outside.

There was nothing.

Gizmo set the cannon to defend his room and only let him in, and then headed out, a modified gun of his own design propped on his shoulder. The Creeper would have been toast within five seconds if he'd had this setup back in the TV room. Now…

Gizmo stopped dead.

There was a body outside his door, a body that had not been there before. It was just a nameless Hive drone, albeit one hacked to pieces. A long blood trail on the ground clearly indicated that it had been dragged there…left there.

For him.

By who? Gizmo didn't know, but the message was clear.

Arm up and prepare all you want. We'll get you in the end anyway.

Gizmo stared a bit more, then snorted.

"Not bloody likely." Gizmo said, as he primed his gun and activated his hoverpack, floating up two feet and zooming quietly along the hallway. His mission was simple: find the computer that turned off the shield, and find anyone alive in the process.

He really wasn't sure, despite all his preparation, if he'd succeed in either.

* * *

Elsewhere, Buzz Bomb was doing his own preparation…well maybe preparation was too strong a word. 'Frantically pulling his room apart on the hunt for something' probably worked better. 

"Where is it! I know I left it in my room! Didn't I? YES I DID!' Buzz Bomb yelled, as he overturned his bed. "Old chip bag, moldy copy of _Kaiju Weekly_, the crest of Birdman, the script to this story, AHA!" Buzz Bomb said as he yanked up a small control device. "I have it! Now, Buzz Bomb is in charge he…"

And then Buzz Bomb felt the back of the control device, and his eyes widened as he turned it around.

"WHAT? NO BATTERIES? Aw c'mon, I know I had batteries! Argh!" Buzz Bomb said, as he once again turned his room outside down. But he found no batteries.

"Blast! Well then, Mr. Energizer Bunny, you better pop out soon because I need batteries, and once I have them, then everything's in my hands!" Buzz Bomb cackled, as he headed out of the room. Let this be a lesson that caffeine overdose plus horror monsters coming to life aren't the healthiest things for one's sanity.

A short pause.

Buzz Bomb walked back in, restocked his explosives, and left again.

Add memory to that too.

* * *

"Say, Actuary…" Billy Numerous said, nearly making Progeny jump out of his skin. Which considering his power, was probably something he could feasibly do. 

"ARCTURO."

"Whatever. Damn fancy-pants name."

"What?"

"Shouldn't we be out by now?"

"We WOULD be, if we didn't have to keep making detours with all those damn closed doors and their shattered keypads. We might be going in circles." Progeny said. Their quest for escape had brought them nothing but more dead bodies and several wrecked rooms, the bodies slaughtered in several gruesome ways. That was the main reason they kept moving: better then standing still and seeing what had found the bodies back before they had BEEN bodies.

"So what do we do?"

"Keep going I guess."

Silence, as Billy sent another clone to peek around the corner. Nothing.

"…Say Arthur…" Billy suddenly said again, once again startling the Spanish teen.

"ARCTURO."

"Whatever!"

"Yeah?"

"You know, I was always meaning to ask you something."

"What?"

"You seem to have a lot of luck with the fillies. How do you do it?"

Progeny had to strongly resist the urge to roll his eyes. Trapped in the base, stalked by god knew what that had already spilled blood and probably wasn't sated, and the hillbil…no wait, that wasn't PC anymore, the _SON OF THE SOIL_ was asking him for sex ed. Go figure.

"…Well um…hmmmm. Well first, do you have any experience?"

"Uhhhhhhhhh…" Billy said, scratching the back of his head.

"Forget it. I've decided I don't want to know." Progeny said, not caring if Billy's awkward noise meant he was a virgin, or that he followed the stereotype and 'kept it in the family', or if he used his clones to and Progeny was going to abandon that line of thought altogether thank you very much.

"Women seem on the surface to be a very complicated creature Billy, but most of the complexity in fact, up here." Progeny said, pointing to his head, even if he wondered if any of his advice would register with Billy. After all, the viewpoint on women was different everywhere, and Progeny wasn't claiming his was any better then Billy's, but his got him a lot of tail, so forgive him if he gave it more weight. "Basically Billy, you need to consider her needs as well. If you can learn that, it's easy."

"HER needs?"

"Well uh yeah."

"I don't really know why that should be important. I'm the man here after all!" Billy said. Progeny groaned inward.

"That's not a good attitude Billy…"

"Says you! Men have a place, women have a place! That's not a crime, that's the way things are! We can't make babies, they do! There are certain re-spon-sa-bilities of that!" Billy said. "I mean, the women here in the Hive don't act proper at all!"

_Which is why I've notched most of them on my bedpost while you're stuck with your own company, in more then one way_. Progeny thought. Billy continued to rant, even as he started to multiply: seemed to be a side effect of his powers. 

"I mean look at that thur Scorcher! Sure she's strong, but she's let it go to her head! She thinks SHE should be the man! Well darn good job missy: it got your fiancé killed! I really don't care what all this new flabjabbet feminist stuff says, what women were doing worked for hundreds of years, it always did work, they need to understand that it does work, and…!"

"Quiet."

"Oh no, no one cuts Billy off! What, you think they're right? What are you, a fag who's trying to compensate…"

"QUIET BILLY." Progeny snapped. "I HEAR SOMETHING."

And those proved to be the magic words to shut Billy up, as his clones ceased his rantings…

And allowed the new silence to swiftly be filled with a new sound.

It sounded like a growl, except it was too quick and too…rusty to belong to an animal. No it wasn't a growl it was…

A sound that chilled Billy and Progeny to their bones as the 'growl' morphed into another sound, a sound they recognized and yet did not. It was too loud, too grating, too FEROCIOUS to match the normal sound they had heard…because the normal tool didn't, couldn't, deliver such a sound.

And they looked. And they saw.

"HOLY CHRIST EATING A CATFISH!" Billy yelled.

"Run." Progeny replied.

"On that we agree. YAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Billy screamed as the two fled down the hall. Pursuit did not take long, that horrific noise following them like it was a monster onto itself.

"Quick! Split off some clones and distract it!"

"What? You think I'm staying behind to face THAT?"

"I thought only your main body could be killed, that your copies just fade away!"

"They're still a part of me! I'm not subjecting myself to that! Why don't you try it Mr. Fall To Pieces!"

"Forget it, just keep running!"

"He's catching up!"

"I didn't need to know that!"

And the desperate chase continued.

* * *

"Where IS everyone Baran?" Shimmer said from her position next to her brother. 

"I don't know Selinda. I wish I did." Mammoth said, as he peeked around a corner and found nothing. "I don't know why Arcturo and Billy would just take off, and I don't know what's happening here. All I know is we have to get out."

"But we should have found an exit by now, or at least some of our classmates? Where is everybody? What's going on?" Selinda semi-whined. It didn't bother Mammoth: her sister was still new to this. She hadn't been properly hardened like him. And this wasn't the way to do it. Whatever was going on, he'd protect her from it.

Though he really wished he knew what IT was. By now there should have been some indication. If this was a hero attack, these were damn cruel and vicious heroes, which ruled out the Titans. And if it were a rival villain cell there surely would have been some sign of that too: villains loved to gloat when they succeeded. He knew from personal experience. And if this was some kind of elaborate test thought up by Blood, there would have been a message from him. But there was nothing, a silence so unnerving part of Mammoth wished he could actually run into something so at least he'd know what he was up against. Unless it was whatever was making those damn hell corridors. He didn't want to meet that.

He'd tried his communicator several times, but gotten nothing but static. Even the fact he hadn't found any more dead bodies wasn't comforting. He needed to KNOW…

"Baran what's that?"

"What's what?"

"That noise."

Mammoth arched an eyebrow.

"Listen. Sounds like a kind of low whistle…"

"…Hmmmmmmm." Mammoth said, now furrowing his brow. He could hear something, though he though it sounded more like a hum then a whistle…

And then it flew around the corner up ahead.

Mammoth's eyes widened, mostly in surprise.

"Baran? What's that?" Shimmer asked.

She got her answer, as the object finished turning and zapped right for Shimmer, heading for her face.

"AHHHHHHHHHH-!"

* * *

"Aha! T-junction!" Progeny yelled as the two of them turned the corner (there seemed to be a lot of those in this school). "You go one way I'll go another! He can't chase both of us!" 

"I don't know! How do I know you're not leaving me in the lurch?"

"You don't! Neither do I! We leave it to chance! Now GO!" Progeny yelled as they approached the junction.

Pop quiz readers! Tell me what happens next!

If you said that the two of them successfully split up and ran down each junction, then hang your head in shame because you clearly don't understand the mechanics of drama.

If you said that the two of them crashed into each other due to neglectfully not telling the other which way they planned to go, take a bow, you're learning.

"Consarn it you idjit!" Billy yelled under Progeny. "GET OFF!"

"Getting! AHHHHH!" Progeny yelled as he scrambled up and nearly fell back down in shock at how fast his foe was approaching. "How can he move so fast?"

"I DON'T KNOW NOR CARE!" Billy yelled as he ran down the right junction. Progeny whirled and took the left.

Their pursuer stopped, looked each way, and then took off down the left after Progeny.

"Oh sure, go after the guy with the idea!" Progeny cursed, running like hell, his breath coming in short gasps. He really should have done more cardiovascular training…

He rounded the corner.

Closed door. Dead end.

Quite literally, as he approached…

* * *

"-HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH…!" Shimmer screamed, as the object lanced at her head. 

Mammoth swatted it into the wall, shattering it into pieces. He might usually be considered slow, but such things didn't matter when it came to his sister.

"Are you all right Selinda?"

"What was that!"

"I don't know." Baran said, looking at the wreckage. There was clearly something organic…

Pain suddenly ran up his hand, and he winced as he looked at his palm, which now had a small but deep cut. He'd thought he'd seen something bladed on the flying thing, and clearly they were sharp. REAL sharp: you couldn't cut Baran Flinders with any old knife…

"Baran, you're hurt…"

"Just a scratch Selinda. I'll be…"

His eyes widened. More of that whistling hum. More of them. Possibly a lot more.

"RUN!" Mammoth yelled, as he grabbed his sister and shoved her ahead of him. Shimmer may have been inexperienced, but she knew when to not question her brother, as she rabbited back down the hallway, Baran shoving her along. They ran back through the nearest doors, even as more of the same predatory flying THINGS came around the corner, slowing down to turn as Mammoth hit the close button.

It didn't close.

A word on surprises if I may: they're not common. Well that's three words, but I bet you were surprised.

"Baran!" Selinda said.

"Shit!" Mammoth cursed. He'd seen how fast those things moved: he'd saved his sister from god knows what fate with a good dollop of luck. If they turned and ran now, they'd give chase and catch up, and he couldn't swat them ALL out of the air…

So if the door wouldn't close, HE'D close it, as he reached out, grabbed either side, and began yanking.

Unfortunately, his big wide frame made a perfect target, as the objects finished correcting themselves and zoomed down the hallway.

Mammoth had two blessings. One was his giant body filled the door and blocked Shimmer. The second was he was considerably taller then the average human.

Hence the objects slammed into his chest, stomach, and legs, knives piercing in, Mammoth letting out a low roar of anger and pain as they stuck him, even as he continued to crush the doors closed.

A high whirring noise filled the air.

Agonizing pain suddenly blossomed in Mammoth's chest, as the objects were…he couldn't tell, but it hurt, it hurt like hell, and worse one had adjusted itself, had lined up it's frontal blades with his face, swooping in, preparing to dig into his forehead.

Mammoth closed the broken doors on it, squashing it between them.

He didn't have time to congratulate himself, as he staggered back, yanking at the ones on him, blood spurting from wounds as he pulled the orbs off and crushed them. Drills, they were DRILLING him, boring into his flesh and muscle…or at least trying, as Mammoth torn them all off and destroyed them, even as Shimmer screamed.

Mammoth got them all before he collapsed, breathing heavily, blood running down his body.

"Baran!" Shimmer said, running to her brother's side.

"It's…nothing…" Mammoth grunted from between closed teeth. He was lying, the wounds were small but they were deep, and they might have gotten an artery, he was certainly bleeding enough.

"Baran, move your arms!" Shimmer said, as she thrust out her hands. Baran blinked as a light glow suffused his sister's hands and then his chest…

And then the wounds had stopped bleeding, covered with a thick crust of dried blood. Didn't help with the pain, but at least Baran was no longer leaking like a sieve.

"Selinda?"

"…I didn't think I could actually do that." Shimmer said, staring at her handiwork.

"What did you do?"

"I meddled a bit with the iron content and pallets in your blood…it was a very small change so I think it may stick unlike my usual transmutations." Shimmer said. "But I don't know if that's true. We need to get you medical attention."

"Sounds good to me." Mammoth said, slowly getting to his feet.

"Can you walk?"

"Takes more then a few oversized bees to put your brother down." Mammoth said, as he flexed his legs.

And turned as a gigantic shadow loomed over him.

"GUH!" Mammoth yelled, drawing back his fist.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Rhinoceros Beetle yelled, staggering back and nearly falling down. "It's me Mammoth!"

"Wilby?" Shimmer said.

"Wilby! What gives! You normally make as much noise as a small freight train when you move, how the hell did you sneak up on me?" Mammoth growled, lowering his fist. He didn't like he'd been snuck up on.

"This situation has taught me how to tiptoe. What's going on? Are you all right? Where is everyone?"

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. Feel free to mix these answers up in any order you'd like." Mammoth said.

"You don't know anything either?" Shimmer asked.

"I know something's seriously wrong with this place. And not just because of the murders. I found…"

Movement darted behind Wilby.

"AHHHHHH!" Wilby screamed, lifting up his foot and stomping at the motion. He missed, thankfully.

"Mrroooeeew!" Mittens said, and hissed.

"Mittens!" Shimmer said. "Kitty! What are you doing here?"

Apparently Mittens wasn't in the mood to answer questions as he turned and ran down the hallway.

"Mittens! Come back!" Shimmer said, chasing after her cat.

"Um, hello? Selinda? Remember me? Your brother? Who just got several holes drilled in him? Who you said needed medical attention? Who you are ignoring anyway to chase after your cat, god dammit." Mammoth said, as he lowered his arm. "Women."

"Maybe she felt I could be entrusted with helping you?" Wilby suggested.

"Oh I feel so comforted." Mammoth said, as he started off after Shimmer.

"What but…hey! I didn't show you what I found!"

"Unless it's a map showing a magic way out of here or a naked picture of Halle Berry, I'm not much interested."

"Mammoth! This could be important…!"

On the other end of the door, a lone figure watched as about twenty floating orbs sliced and drilled at the doors, trying to break through and continue the chase.

The figure apparently decided he didn't care for it though, as he turned and slowly began walking away. Immediately, the orbs pulled away from the doors and followed, obedient little servants.

* * *

And from preparations and near-escapes from doom we once again return to seemingly certain doom, as Scorcher's head lit up with fire as she prepared to do god knew what to Nightwalker. Who figured while his outfit may have shrugged off a general flame eruption, it wouldn't prove so effective against a concentrated flame burst. And he'd used up his only anti-fire clip on Jinx, emptying the whole thing into her to ensure she survived. Figures: no good deed goes unpunished. 

Zippy knew that too. Remembered how Scorcher's attempt to use her family to do right had all been thrown back in her face, costing her her fiancé H-Duo, then her moral code as she agreed to work for Blood in exchange for info on how H-Duo could possibly be brought back, to her 'daughter' Floral, and now this, this cruel mockery of life, turned on her friends, her students, her family, all love and kindness gone, only a horrific malice fueled by a growing, ghastly hunger.

Tears ran down Zippy's eyes.

"I'm sorry…Danny…"

And she ran, and attacked, blitzing her former friend and leader with blows, hammering on her, and as Nightwalker suddenly saw Scorcher doing the jerky dance of the rapidly struck he used it, as he turned, ran up the wall, and shoved off it to fly over Scorcher, hit the ground, roll to his feet, and run away as Scorcher…

Let out a snarling hiss, and fire exploded all around her, throwing Zippy away. Nightwalker repaid the favor by catching her, even as he cursed who had been needed to save him. Zippy was too close to Scorcher, unable to deliver what was needed: a final blow. Indeed, all she'd done was batter Scorcher's body some, as she turned, a thin stream of fluid running down her face and turning to steam almost immediately…

"Owwwwwwwwwwww…" Zippy said, looking at her blistered and angry red hands. The burns were pretty bad: Zippy'd only had one shot at taking Scorcher down. And she had, all reasons and gratitude aside, failed.

"Get to cover." Nightwalker said, and Zippy staggered off as Jinx joined Nightwalker's side.

"I don't suppose I could just tell you to shoot her." Jinx said.

"Normal ammo's worthless, explosive's redundant, and even if I had any acid left it's flammable and hence also redundant. And I don't have any more anti-fire ones."

"What about Zippy?"

"She badly burned her hands. And I doubt Scorcher will let her get close again. And Platinum Blonde's the same problem: she gets too close, Scorcher melts her. And she's a lot slower then Zippy. Not like she seems to be in any mental state to help us." Nightwalker said, looking over at the edge of the room where Platinum Blonde huddled, watching in horror.

"Great. So what do we do?"

"I'd suggest running…"

Nightwalker's suggestion was cut off as a giant fireball flew through the air at the two of them, forcing them to dodge to the side, and as Nightwalker rolled up he saw Scorcher walking back in front of the way she'd come in, cutting them off and hence fulfilling what he was about to say: I doubt she'll let us leave.

"What do we do?"

"I don't suppose you could hex her in a way that would cause her head to explode."

"I could if you could give me nearly three hours to prepare."

"Well this is just peachy keen ain't it?" Nightwalker said, and then he and Jinx cartwheeled and backflipped away from a brief flame barrage.

"Those attacks are getting more proficient." Nightwalker commented.

"Damn. I think the transformation is just about complete. She's going from a dull minded animal lashing out at what her damaged brain sees as a threat to a predator seeking food." Jinx said.

"Food?"

Scorcher appeared to crack her neck, and then her mouth opened as she shrieked/roared at the pair of them.

"Us. VERY well done."

A stream of fire nearly engulfed the two despite their dodging efforts, Nightwalker sliding along the ground as he tried to think of a plan…

Then he eyes spied something.

"Jinx! Distract her again!" He yelled.

"WHAT? Why do I always get the shit-YOW!" Jinx yelled as she nearly lost her lower half to a flame blast. Well she wasn't going to dance around Scorcher this time, oh no. She was known as Jinx, and it was time she reminded Scorcher of it.

A furious barrage of hex blasts flew from her hands, striking Scorcher and everything around her. Jinx wasn't sure what this would do exactly, but her power was bad luck, and she needed some to befall this creature!

And it worked, as everything around Scorcher (mostly wrecked and burning tables) exploded into a thick cloud of dust and smoke, completely obscuring Scorcher from view. Jinx backflipped once more and clenched her fist: that should do…

A horrific blast of flame flew from the smoke. Jinx's eyes widened as she tried to dodge…

Too late.

The fire clipped her side, and her dress burst into flames again as she fell, frantically pounding at it, trying to smother the fire before it could find a grip. She succeeded, somewhat, as she managed to beat the fire out…only to find an intense wave of dizziness hitting her. She'd banged her head on the way down and hadn't even been aware of it due to her need to extinguish herself…

Scorcher's shadow appeared from the smoke, and then the genuine article appeared, stalking Jinx, who looked at the pyrokinetic with blurred eyes and then tried to get away, crawling, but she was too dazed, too dizzy, as Scorcher approached her, holding out a hand…

And then a concentrated jet of water hit the undead girl, sending her staggering back.

Nightwalker grunted in satisfaction as he re-aimed the hose he had retrieved from the wall, from the glass case that also include a fire extinguisher and axe, a hose Nightwalker had remembered he'd always wanted to use as a child but now had to, as he re-aimed and fired at Scorcher, trying to cool her off.

This time though, Scorcher was expecting him.

The water exploded into steam a foot from her, as Scorcher glared at him, a vile wrath dancing in her lone remaining eye, heat shimmering around her. Nightwalker grit his teeth, and not knowing if or how he could turn up the water pressure, he just held it on her, as the steam cloud expanded, obscuring the room.

"…That won't work." Platinum Blonde said. She'd stood aside, not knowing what to do, but she knew that standing aside would not spare her. Everyone else was trying to fight: Nightwalker, Jinx, even poor Zippy, whose burnt hands couldn't even begin to match the clear pain in her heart. If Juryrig hadn't been so cruelly struck down, Platinum Blonde was sure he'd be fighting too.

But she couldn't fight. She wouldn't stand a chance. Of all the Elementals, she had always been the only one without distance attacks. But now…

Nightwalker wasn't letting up, but his persistence meant nothing. Within seconds it would all fall apart.

Platinum Blonde lowered her head, grief weighing down on her, for everything…

And she saw it.

And she knew what she could do.

What she had to do.

And then suddenly the water stream exploded into fire, seemingly defying science, as the jet erupted into a fiery stream back at Nightwalker, whose eyes went as wide as saucers. Maybe an observer could have noted that water was, in the end, just hydrogen and oxygen, both very flammable, and a true master of fire knew how to make fire, at ALL times…

Nightwalker threw down the hose and dove for cover.

Too late, as the fire stream reached the hose and traveled into the packed roll behind Nightwalker before it exploded, throwing him through the air. He landed on his hands and flipped to his feet…

And then another explosion erupted in front of him, blasting him backwards, throwing him through the shattered kitchen doors and into a giant pile of pots and pans.

With her irritant gone, and her hunger growing, Scorcher turned her attention back to Jinx, who was still dazed and trying to crawl away…

Platinum Blonde approached it. While the flashlights had been melted by Scorcher's original fire outburst, the laser lense remained, lying on the floor. It couldn't shoot anyway, not after it had cracked. But Platinum Blonde didn't need it to shoot.

She would handle it.

Yet it didn't feel like her hands lifting it up, didn't feel like her mind concocting her plan.

In that she was almost glad.

Scorcher approached Jinx, as Zippy watched, not knowing what to do, wondering if she should run in and try and help, or if that would just doom her and Jinx, and Jinx was only aware of the heat, and Scorcher was only aware of her crystallizing and growing need to FEED…

"DANIELLE!"

The name still seemed to echo in the virus-manipulated brain, as Scorcher paused, even as Nightwalker ran out of the kitchen to save Jinx…and stopped short.

As Platinum Blonde swung the laser lense up into the air, coiling her arms back even as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Oh god, _pardonnez-moi."_

And she hurled the laser lense through the air.

Scorcher shot flame at it, but the whirling giant disc was too flat, the flame spilling over each side, blackening the glass but not slowing it down as it spun through the air.

CHOR-KLRUKCH!

The lense hit the wall on the other end of the room and shattered, blood splattered on its surface.

As Scorcher's body, split in half, fell to the ground in a final gouting spray of blood. It splattered on Nightwalker, who recoiled in horror and made a noise almost like a whimper.

And then…silence.

And then, as if in one final taunt, the doors that had denied Nightwalker slid open.

Nightwalker stared at the scene for a moment, and then reached up and wiped the blood from his helmet, even as Jinx scrambled away from the sliced lengthwise body, as blood pooled around it.

"…Damn." Nightwalker said, walking over to the shattered wreck that had moments ago held a fire hose, using the water spraying from the pipes behind it to wash the blood off. He caught a glimpse of Zippy, standing there, not moving, looking but not there. Broken. "Damn." Nightwalker said to himself again. Absent-mindedly, he reached into his belt and procured a roll of bandages, bandages he tossed to Zippy, who saw the movement and caught them, looked at them, and then began wrapping them around her hands. But the move was clearly one on autopilot, all sense lost behind Zippy's eyes. She would probably look at her hands later and wonder where the bandages had come from.

Platinum Blonde, slowly, part of her feeling like she was floating, walked up the fallen body, the still twitching legs, the now completely fireless hair caked with blood, Scorcher lying face down like she had finally given up on everything.

"…Oh god." Jinx said to Nightwalker, as he walked over while he wiped water from his helmet. "Why?"

"Because." Nightwalker replied, and left it at that.

Platinum Blonde leaned down and smoothed Scorcher's hair, trying to give what dignity she could back to the wreck.

"She'll be waiting for you on the other side." Platinum Blonde said quietly. "I'm sure of it. _Au revoir pour maintenant, cher ami._"

And Scorcher's hand snapped up and grabbed Platinum Blonde's wrist.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Platinum Blonde screamed, her semi-composed understanding shattering even as her wrist burned, as Scorcher's head reared up, blood gushing from its mouth, snarling like a rabid dog, as Platinum Blonde jerked violently backwards and fell on her rear, trying to scrabble away, as Scorcher crawled after her, more blood pouring from her mouth, teeth flashing, needing to feed, to FEED…

She lunged out and grabbed Platinum Blonde's ankle, and the French girl screamed once more and tried to free herself, but Scorcher had a death grip this time and she wasn't letting go, even as Platinum Blonde scrambled back some more and everyone else stood in utter shock at this final sacrilege, as Scorcher tried to pull herself up Platinum Blonde's body and rip her throat out.

Something brushed Platinum Blonde's hand as she was tried to flee, something that somehow her attention even in her blind panic, and she turned to look…

Juryrig's shotgun. Undamaged from the blast.

Scorcher lunched up, snarling…

Platinum Blonde snatched up the gun and aimed.

"Oh Danny…!"

BLAM!

Scorcher's body fell again, her head utterly obliterated, her curse finally lifted.

Platinum Blonde just stared, the gun still out, her face and body speckled with blood and worse.

And then she pulled the trigger again. It produced nothing but a dry clicking sound, but that didn't stop her from pulling it again, and again, and again, like she could do nothing else, like it had become her whole world…

And then Nightwalker knelt down, pulling the gun from her hand.

"Let's go." He said, as he dropped it on the ground.

"…_Quoi?_" Platinum Blonde whispered.

"Let's go. It's done. Let's leave."

"…But…but…" Platinum Blonde said as she turned herself to look back at what was left her friend, her leader, her…sister…

Nightwalker yanked her head back to look at him.

"Danielle Foster is dead. This THING…was just a puppet of what's invaded the place. You can't turn back time to change it, and you can't sit around to mourn it because that's what it wants. IT WANTS US. So we need to GO."

"But Danny…she saved us all…"

"And now we have to save ourselves. So get up and MOVE, or your blood can join hers." Nightwalker said.

Platinum Blonde stared, and then the shock and horror left her face.

Unfortunately for Nightwalker, what replaced it was rage.

What amazed Jinx was that Nightwalker's helmet didn't shatter when Platinum Blonde slapped him and hurled him across the room, where he bounced a few times and then came to a rest near her.

"YOU HEARTLESS FUCK." Platinum Blonde snarled as she got up. "Do you have any idea what she meant to us? What you do…when you act…like she was some mere…human?"

"We're all human on the inside." Nightwalker said, holding the side of his face as he got up. "I want to live. So should you. Hence we need to go."

"Oh you're only partly right. We need to go. Except there's no U in we." Platinum Blonde said, and turned. "Sal, let's go. These bastards are on their own."

"W-What? Antoinette, what are you talking about?" Jinx said. Having already taken several furious steps, Platinum Blonde whirled around.

"You heard me! You want me to think this is all brotherhood, after the way HE spoke to me? Forget it! I'm not a person, deserving of sympathy! I'm a shield he can use to soak up damage!"

"In times of crisis, we are often broken down to our base aspects." Nightwalker calmly replied.

"Yeah. I saw that. You are apparently the same as those who did this, _monstre._" Platinum Blonde spat. "So fuck you. You're on your own. And Llarenes, you can stay with him if you don't realize this."

"But…!"

"Antoinette, stop being so damn self-indulgent and dramatic." Nightwalker said, as he started for her.

"STOP RIGHT THERE OR I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF, YOU PRICK!" Platinum Blonde screamed. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO USE MY NAME! OR HERS! Danielle had more brilliance in the tip of her pinky then you will ever have in a hundred years of trying! She came here to try and thwart death, and all it did was bring death to her and the one she cared for most! Well, no more! Zippy, get over here."

"I think she's still in a bit of shock." Nightwalker replied.

"SHUT UP! I'll drag her if I have to…"

"Antoinette…" Nightwalker said, stepping towards her again.

"I SAID STOP!"

"You have to…"

"BE QUIET! STOP TALKING! I'VE HAD ENOUGH! You're on your own! I carve my own path now! I hope once I'm out of here the devil reaches up here and drags this fucking place down to hell personally…!"

"Antoinette…!"

"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP! AND I MEAN IT! You're just a man, weak, pathetic, and fragile! I am Antoinette Albertine, Platinum Blonde, harder then steel, fiercer then death herself, and I DENY YOU. You are but a man, and I am invincible…!"

The blade slashed out and chopped off Platinum Blonde's head before she could say another word.

Blood splattered on Nightwalker, who was reaching out with one hand.

Everyone in the room froze.

"…No." Nightwalker said.

Gouting blood, Platinum Blonde's body collapsed, revealing the figure behind her, the figure Nightwalker had only briefly seen, that he had tried to warn her about, but she was just too angry and it had sealed her doom…

And all theirs, for she had not been lying for the most part. She nearly was invincible. Unbelievable strength would have been needed to cut off her head with a bladed weapon.

But the massive form stepping over her body had all that, and more, a direct line to hell.

It was a good thing Jinx had used the bathroom before this whole thing had started. Otherwise she probably would have pissed herself.

"…No!" Nightwalker said, even as he clawed at his helmet face. "Not again! NOT AGAIN!"

His form was all too recognizable, but it wasn't the same. Instead of ragged clothing over rotted, necrotized flesh, he seemed to be clothed in some kind of firm dark green plastic, completely covering his body…except where there was metal.

His left leg was completely metal, as was his right arm and side of his chest, pinkish red flesh well protected under thick armor. And instead of the usual white plastic, the hockey mask was pure titanium steel, out from which blazing red eyes peered.

Jason Voorhees.

New and improved, from _Jason X_.

Uberjason.

"Oh god…" Jinx whimpered. "Why'd they have to get the crappy sequel?"

_Ch ch ch ah ah ah…_


	7. Legion

Part 7: Legion

_Oh but he's back…__  
He's the man behind the mask…__  
And he's after your soul…_

Frantically trying to get Platinum Blonde's blood off his helmet, but only succeeding in smearing it more, Nightwalker began to slowly back up, Uberjason following him with his eyes, eyes that looked furious no matter what Jason was doing.

Then he started coming after him.

"…What do we do?" Jinx whimpered.

And then a loud zapping boom suddenly sounded behind the pair, and Nightwalker and Jinx turned around, attracted by the noise.

Zippy was gone. She'd run off through the open door. Whether she was afraid or the poor girl had finally snapped from all the death (and Nightwalker would bet money on the latter), she'd left Nightwalker and Jinx to the wolves. Hell, wolves would be preferable to what was heading for the two of them, walking at a steady, measured pace, as if he had all the time in the world.

By instinct, even as he turned back to face the souped-up slasher, Nightwalker was clawing for his belt. He had one, maybe two packs of normal ammo left, and one pack of explosive ammo (he knew them by touch). The choice was obvious, as Nightwalker grabbed and slammed in the explosive ammo, skipping backwards several steps.

"GET DOWN!" He yelled. Jinx ducked, and Nightwalker fired.

The orbs slammed into Uberjason and exploded, immensely powerful blasts that had knocked back the Nemesis.

Uberjason didn't even budge.

"…Oh man." Nightwalker said, as the smoke cleared. Uberjason looked down on the scorch marks that the explosions had made, and then looked up, his head tilting ever so slightly. _Please._

The only thing the last ammo pack had done was stopping Jason's walk. He resumed it swiftly.

"I think Zippy had the right idea: RUN!" Jinx screamed, and ran for the door. Nightwalker didn't argue: he turned tail and fled with Jinx.

_If you see him coming, get away if you can.  
Just keep on running, run as fast as you can.  
He's a dangerous, dangerous man…_

The door slammed shut in Jinx's face.

"WHAT! NO! NO!" Jinx screamed, pounding on the door. "Why us? WHY US?"

"Move!" Nightwalker said, pushing her aside and aiming at the keypad as he snapped in one of his last ammo packs. He fired, punching a hole through it.

The door remained closed.

"Right. Why not?" Nightwalker said, as he and Jinx turned back around to face the approaching Uberjason.

"Why us?" Jinx whimpered. "Why do they keep coming after us, one after the other? Why do they want us? It's not like we did them any wrong! We weren't in the first movie!"

"………….Uh, yeah." Nightwalker said. "Say Jinx, you any good at hacking?"

"Um…well…Gizmo gave a lesson once. But I kinda snoozed through it…"

"That'll have to do." Nightwalker said, as he aimed and blew the keypad panel clear off. "You hack, I'll try and avoid the slashing. At the very least, maybe you can get around me and go out the way he came."

Jinx was about to reply, but Nightwalker didn't give her the chance, as he ran up to the approaching Uberjason.

Uberjason didn't seem much impressed, as he raised his machete, a sleek futuristic one, still slick with Platinum Blonde's blood, and he slashed. Nightwalker ducked under it, the wide roundhouse blow slicing off the tips of his shoulder tendrils/cape, as his knife snapped out and Nightwalker stabbed for the more vulnerable looking area of Jason's chest.

The knife broke off anyway.

Uberjason slashed back the same way, as Nightwalker ducked again, dodged to the side, and then tried kicking him in the chest. It hurt the teen a lot more then it hurt the slasher: it felt like he was kicking a steel wall.

"Come on…these things weren't supposed to be super-complex…!" Jinx cursed as she fiddled with the wires inside the keypad.

Nightwalker dodged a downward machete slash and kicked Uberjason across the face. His neck didn't even move, and then Nightwalker suddenly found Uberjason's free hand seizing his costume and lifting him up, slamming him down onto the ground with bone shuddering force. As stars danced in Nightwalker's eyes, Uberjason lifted his machete…

Nightwalker lifted his arm as his computer lock-on screen selected the most likely vulnerable area and fired, shooting an orb right into Jason's eye.

It stopped him, at least. As Nightwalker scrambled back, Jason reached up and popped the orb out. His eye was unharmed: the marble had just gotten stuck in his mask. Uberjason dropped it and headed after Nightwalker as he got up and fled back to Jinx.

"I think I got it…I got it!" Jinx said.

Sparks suddenly shot from the opened keypad as Jinx received a powerful shock, knocking her to the ground with a cry. The door did not open, but at least another door didn't close over it.

"Just great." Nightwalker said, as he fired the last of his orbs into Uberjason. The king of slashers didn't even bother to stop, as he reached behind himself.

"Help! HELP! SOMEONE, ANYONE!" Jinx said, getting up and pounding on the door.

"MOVE!" Nightwalker yelled, shoving Jinx out of the way.

The spiked metal rod impaled in the door where Jinx has just been…and where Nightwalker's arm was. Nightwalker's only luck was it didn't go through his arm: it just glanced it. It still sliced through his armored outfit like butter and cut a deep wound on his inner forearm. Nightwalker growl/yelled, clutching his limb as rivets of blood began to run down it.

"Wha…what the hell! He wasn't the type to carry backup weapons!" Jinx said, as Uberjason yanked on the chain and pulled the spiked rod back to his hand.

"I guess the powers that be thought it would be boring if he just had a machete." Nightwalker replied, as Uberjason put his throwing spear back on his back, picked his machete off the ground, and headed for the two again.

"You all right?" Jinx said.

"I'm out of ammo and facing an invincible killer. The only thing right about this is that I WILL die with all my wounds on my front."

"…….." Jinx said.

"Yeah." Nightwalker said.

And the two charged at Uberjason, who met them with furious slashes, slashes the two dodged as they hammered punches and kicks into the unmoving, unfeeling monster. Even Jinx's hexes, one of which exploded a nearby half-table and showered Jason with flaming splinters, didn't affect him. And since Nightwalker was only using one arm, he was pretty much lame. And he was getting a terrible headache, a loud pounding in his head.

"AHHHAHHHH!" Jinx yelled, as she flipped over a machete slice and kicked Jason in the mask.

Jason just grabbed her foot.

"AHHHHHHH!" Jinx screamed as Uberjason swirled Jinx around and then hurled her into Nightwalker. He cocked his head, as if he regretted the move: in actuality he was sad there hadn't been a tree nearby. That kill always went over big.

The two went down in a heap, ending up in a position Jason knew all too well. And it didn't much matter to him that he'd put them in that state, it still tapped into the rage, his undying rage, as he walked up to the pair, pulling his spear from his back, flipping it over, raising it up…

Nightwalker's eyes widened behind the mask, as he was the only one who was looking up…

And then the door thudded down next to his head.

Uberjason stopped, surprised, much like Nightwalker was. The door that had kept the two of them from escaping was now on the ground, hammered off its hinges.

The pounding hadn't been in his head. It'd been whoever was hammering the door.

As Rocko walked in, eyes as blank as ever, stepping into the room, seemingly not surprised at seeing Jason Voorhees, all fancied up but still quite recognizable, though Jason actually seemed a bit surprised to see her. And who could blame him: he'd never seen a girl made out of rock before.

Rocko was silent, something that struck Nightwalker as odd…before he followed Rocko's gaze.

And found himself looking at Platinum Blonde's head, lying nearby, eyes wide open, uncomprehending of what had happened in her last moments.

Rocko'd seen it too.

The white eyes showed nothing, but the head followed the sight…to Platinum Blonde's prone body…and then to the shattered ruin that had once been Scorcher, maybe not recognizable to a stranger…but able to be identified by a 'family' member.

Uberjason just stared, still not sure what to make of it.

Rocko stared at Scorcher's body.

Nightwalker got the sense that a lack of proper equipment was the only thing preventing tears.

So he did what he had to, as he leaned up and pointed at Uberjason.

"HE did it!"

Well he was half-right.

Uberjason's head snapped down at the words, not wholly sure what they meant.

And then all he saw was a gigantic fist of stone filling his vision.

The blow rang through the whole room as Rocko punched Uberjason across the length of it, the psycho losing his chain spear as he flew and crashed down with a thunderous racket.

And all the slowness that had plagued Rocko before seemed to vanish, as she stampeded across the room, right at Uberjason, who was getting up despite the blow. So, whatever this creature was, it opposed him, and he always killed what opposed him. And he'd still held onto his machete, as Rocko closed in.

Uberjason's mighty slash was so strong it actually carved through Rocko's stone body.

Not that Rocko gave a damn, as her fist buried itself in Jason's chest and sternum. The blow floored Jason but didn't knock him down, as he slashed again, cutting another deep line. No blood, no effect, no relenting, as Rocko punched Uberjason on his metal side and actually dented some of the metal plates.

Uberjason slashed a third time, actually cutting off some of Rocko's stone fingers.

The other hand grabbed Uberjason, hoisting him up, even as the cut fingers floated back up to Rocko's hand and reattached.

"You THINK…" Rocko snarled, as she snatched the machete. "You can hurt me WITH YOUR PUNY KNIFE?"

Rocko snapped the blade in half between two fingers, even as her head shot out and slammed into Uberjason's with unbelievable force, his head snapping back, his mask dented, as Rocko reared up and slammed his body into the ground, a spiderweb of cracks shooting out from the floor, and then lifting him up and slamming him into the floor again, the whole room shaking, as Rocko lifted Uberjason up again…

And his hand shot out, plunged into one of Rocko's eyes, and yanked, pulling a large chunk of stone out of the golem's head.

Rocko didn't blink. And technically she couldn't.

"I'm not that kind of girl." Rocko said, and hurled Uberjason through the air. He slammed into the nearest wall so hard he dented the tough metal. Rocko charged again as Uberjason tried to pull himself out, at a loss. He'd fought policemen, he'd fought bounty hunters, he'd fought a psychic, he'd even fought an android reworked into a killing machine, and they all broke, so how could…

Rocko's shoulder slammed into Uberjason and the whole wall caved in as Rocko smashed him through it and into the ruined kitchen. Uberjason tumbled through the air and landed on his back, immediately starting to get up.

A left and right hand combination to his face hurled him off his feet, and as he landed on his back Rocko jumped on him, white energy spitting in sparks from her ruined eye, as she brought her fists down so hard the whole room shook, and again, and again, and again, cracks beginning to race across the floor, through the walls, and across the ceiling, and then the whole room started coming down.

"AUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rocko bellowed as she reared back up, and then came down with the mother of all blows.

The entire section of the school collapsed, burying Rocko and Uberjason among untold tons of wreckage, smoke pluming through the cafeteria and around Nightwalker and Jinx, who had watched the whole thing.

"…Whoa." Jinx said.

"Indeed, Mr. Reeves." Nightwalker replied, as he waved the smoke away. "You think she survived?"

"Maybe." Jinx said, as she headed for the giant pile of debris, stopping at the edge of it.

"You're not going to suggest we dig her out, are you?" Nightwalker asked.

"Don't know her THAT well." Jinx replied. "Maybe we should…"

The ruins stirred.

Jinx jumped behind Nightwalker, and then as he glanced wryly at her, she stepped out from behind him trying to act innocent.

A form lifted from the wreckage, a large form…Rocko. The golem floated up a bit and then rested on top of the rubble, even as several bits of stone lifted up from the huge pile and floated to her, fitting to her face and chest, her eye fixing itself.

"…It's done." Rocko said, and started walking, heading past Nightwalker and Jinx like they weren't there.

"…Hey!" Nightwalker said, turning around and heading after Rocko.

"What." Rocko replied.

"Uh…you don't really want to go alone, do you?"

"Whatever. It doesn't matter. Nothing matters." Rocko said, no emotion in her voice, but her 'feeling' clear.

"You think that will hold him?" Jinx asked, as the three headed out of the room.

"If a few cinder blocks tied to a chain kept him in a lake for seven years, a few dozen tons of rock and steel better damn sure hold him for a few hours, or I want my money back." Rocko replied.

"Yeah but you didn't shove a boat motor in his face." Nightwalker said.

Rocko's glare encouraged him not to say anything else.

* * *

Progeny let out a long slow breath as he leaned on the wall on the other side of the door. He'd thought he was done for when he'd turned the corner, but his mind hadn't frozen, and he tried the keypad. A miracle, it opened. Another miracle: it closed behind him when he hit the pad on the other side of the door. Progeny hadn't stopped to rest then though: he'd run through another door and closed it behind him as well before taking a breather. He thought he might be able to faintly hear the furious, snarling noises of his pursuer as he tried to get the door open, but the lack of the sound getting any closer gave Progeny confidence that it wasn't going to happen. Nevertheless, he wasn't going to hang around, as he shoved off the wall and took off down the hallway at a fast walk.

Not that he had any idea what he was going to do. He was all alone, and quite possibly the last person left alive in the Hive, being stalked by…well Progeny didn't know what the hell was after him. He didn't see how those damn corridors had anything to do with what had chased him. Hell, he could have sworn that was…

Progeny came to a three way junction, and studied it for a bit: it looked familiar, though with his stressed out mind it took a little while for him to remember why. He hated being stressed, and he had a feeling his usual method for coping with it wasn't going to be available to him. He still hated it. A lot.

It didn't keep him from remembering why the three way junction ran a bell: one of them lead to the first training room on the right side. A series of thoughts occurred to him: the training room was well lit, had very thick doors, and powerful locks. Provided nothing was already in the room, it was a good a place as any to hide. What he was going to do then…well, Progeny would think of that later.

On high edge, ready to go to pieces if he saw any movement, Progeny made his way down the hallway and to the training room, which was at the moment sparely 'decorated'. One corner of the room had desks and chairs in case the training was preceded or proceeded by lessons, and there was a random table or chair scattered about, but besides that the room was empty. The training devices were behind the walls, ceiling, and floor, to be called out as needed.

There didn't seem to be anyone in the room. Progeny peeked in a few corners just to be sure.

There were three entrances to the room: the one Progeny had come in through, one that lead to more training rooms, and one more which led to what had been planned as another training room but had been decommissioned 2/3 of the way through and turned into a storage room, although due to the fact the decommission had happened recently, there wasn't much stored in there. Progeny took a look, but there was nothing he could use as a weapon, not even a crowbar. Indeed, the only thing that was in the room, filling up two corners, were giant parts for the being built base and huge drums filled with fuel and other liquids that would be needed to run the base, the drums being over three times taller then Progeny. He couldn't use that as a weapon, so he just locked the door. Then he locked the door to the second training room and finally locked the way he had come in, constantly looking over his shoulder the whole time to make sure nothing snuck up on him.

Despite that, she still came out of nowhere, to the point where Progeny nearly fell apart in his surprise, as he whirled around, the sound of the door locking behind him, frantically trying to spin a battle plan. The room was huge, he could keep his distance, maybe go through a vent…

And then he actually saw who it was, and his fear was tinged with confusion.

It was a woman, a statuesque blonde, dressed in a Hive robe, with a very attractive face with cool greenish-blue eyes. Except Progeny had no idea who she was. And he would have noticed her if she had been around before…but how could…unless…

A strange thought occurred to him. He had a thing for blondes…especially tall, statuesque ones, which was exactly what this woman was. And he had told that to a certain woman earlier…

"Is that you Melanie?" Progeny asked, ready to bolt.

"…Yes. Yes it is." The woman replied.

Progeny relaxed.

"That's a nice talent you have there. Your voice even changes. Well done." Progeny said, pushing off the wall he had backed up against.

"…Thank you."

"Where were you?" Progeny asked. "I though I checked everywhere."

"I was…hiding. Under that desk." 'Melanie' replied. Progeny gave a sidelong look at it. Didn't he check there? Well maybe not: there was more then one desk.

"Well, I suppose. I guess you were hiding under there because of what's going on, right?"

"…Yes."

"Do you know exactly WHAT'S going on?"

"…No." 'Melanie' said. Unfortunately, Progeny didn't notice the guess-like tone of her answers, as he began going through the desk she had pointed out. Maybe if he'd missed the desk, he'd missed a weapon.

"Great. Well it's bad Melanie, quite bad. Unless you have some weapons, we could be in trouble. I doubt we can hide in here forev…" Progeny said, before something finally occurred to him.

"Melanie…you said it's hard for you to change. Despite what I said, this situation doesn't seem like it would be…conduct…tive…" Progeny said as he turned around from the desk and found 'Melanie' was now right up against him.

"I like you." 'Melanie' said.

"…Uh Mel…I know what I said and all…but this isn't a good time…"

"I want you." 'Melanie' said, as she leaned in and pressed her mouth to Progeny's.

Thoughts whirled in Progeny's head, that this was crazy, this was unnatural…but those thoughts were overwhelmed by hormones and a little voice going 'You locked the doors, what could happen?'.

And he was so sick with stress…he needed a release…

The best men have been laid low by their urges and appetites.

In an atmosphere like the one that pervaded the Hive base, screwing with his thought processes…Progeny didn't have a chance.

He grabbed Melanie and turned around, shoving the stuff on the desk off even as he reached under her robe.

Much to his surprise, she wasn't wearing anything underneath.

* * *

"Batteries! Batteries! Dah-do-dum! Clank!" Buzz Bomb rambled to himself, trying to do the little tune and sound effect that came at the end of commercials for Duracell. He was in one of the storage rooms, ripping everything apart in his search for batteries, and coming up empty handed much to his great annoyance. This was a giant base, it should be swarming with batteries! But nothing.

While he searched, Buzz Bomb sang quietly to himself.

"I started on a journey about a year ago, to a little town called Morrow in the state of Ohio. I've never been much of a traveler, and I really didn't know, that Morrow was the hardest place I'd ever try to go!" Buzz Bomb sang, rather tunelessly, as he tore stuff apart. "So I went down to the station for my ticket and applied, for tips regarding Morrow not expecting to be guyed. Said I, 'My friend, I'd like to go to Morrow and return, no later than tomorrow for I haven't time to burn.' Said he to me, 'Now let me see if I have heard you right. You'd like to go to Morrow and return tomorrow night. You should have gone to Morrow yesterday and back today, for the train that goes to Morrow is a mile upon its way…"

"Catchy little tune."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Buzz Bomb screamed, whirling around as he armed his laser gauntlet.

Flense grabbed it and yanked it up before he fired.

"Stop it. You'll hurt yourself." Flense said.

"Oz, be nice. Not all of us are handling this as stoically as you." Flay said.

"Yeah. I gotta admit, for a jock, you sure handle pressure well." The Hive woman, now known as Belinda, said. "Why is that?"

"I've had experience." Flense said as he let go of Buzz Bomb's arm.

"What kind of experience could a dumb job who stole some geek's suit have?"

"You'd be amazed." Flense replied darkly. "Can we go now? We need to keep moving."

"Do you have any batteries?" Buzz Bomb asked.

"No. Why do you need them?"

"It's a secret!"

"Oh for the love of…come on you. My act of charity for this year is not leaving your fool ass to be sliced." Flense said, as he grabbed Buzz Bomb's arm and started dragging him out of the room.

"But there might be batteries in here!" Buzz Bomb wailed.

"And there might not be." Flense replied.

"You're right, let's go." Buzz Bomb said, as he stopped being dead weight and dashed along past Flense. The tendril-wielding teen facevaulted.

"Why'd we have to find this bucolic before Gizmo…is Gizmo even still alive…I wonder…" Flense said as he headed after the group.

* * *

Gizmo was still quite alive, and currently hacking a computer.

"Come on come on come on…" Gizmo said, his fingers blurring over the keypad. A buzz sounded. "CRAP!"

The computer wasn't the one he needed, the one that could disable the shield. If Gizmo could find that, then he could hopefully escape.

Gizmo pushed himself back from the computer and went over to the door into the room, which he'd locked behind himself. While he did so he withdrew a new weapon he'd been working on lately, a device he'd, though he hated the fact, co-invented with Lucinda (partly because working with her drove home the fact she was smarter then him overall, and also because she was such a disturbed, creepy woman, forever looking at Gizmo like he was a slab of choice meat). It was a unique weapon composed of a special metalliplastic compound, one that through nanomachines manipulating electricity and magnetism, could morph the material of the weapon into virtually any type of blade or bludgeon, buttons on the handle selecting whatever you had programmed into it. It morphed fast too, making it pretty neat overall: Gizmo only didn't normally use it because he hated to fight hand to hand. It didn't have an official name, though Gizmo called it the RP Device, after Robert Patrick, who had played the T-1000 in _Terminator 2_ and the weapon was much like wielding a personal T-1000. Gizmo took it out in case anyone decided to come through the door, whether it was opened or closed, and Gizmo didn't have time to get his gun up.

In the end, he opened the door without incident. The metalliplastic flowed back into the handle as Gizmo went back to the computer and picked up his gun, continuing his search. He still had more then a few left. He just hoped that meant computers to check and not minutes to live.

* * *

"No way! THIS is the Camera Obscura?" Shimmer said, looking over the device that Rhinoceros Beetle had found and used to 'kill' Floral. She hadn't been able to catch Mittens, who had escaped, and that had depressed her. To distract her, Wilby had given her the camera and started to tell her what he thought it was, except Shimmer said she recognized it. Though she hadn't been able to place the exact recognition until a few seconds ago.

"Doesn't look like the average camera you could just pick up at a corner store." Wilby said, back in his normal small form as he tried to staple the bandages wrapped around Mammoth's torso together.

"But it's from a video game!"

"Yeah, I noticed." Wilby replied, as he put in the last staple.

"Owtch!"

"Sorry. There, that should hold." Wilby said, hopping down from the table, as Mammoth got up and took a few deep breaths.

"Hunh. Not bad shrimp. You should look into becoming a battlefield medic: god knows you're worthless when it comes to combat."

"Hey!"

"Don't fight." Shimmer said, still looking the camera over. "And you just found in on the ground?"

"Yeah, and…" Wilby said, as he began feeling around in his outfit for the gem.

Only to find, much to his surprise, that it was missing. Wilby, perturbed, patted himself down again. Gone. But where? Maybe it fell out when he'd transformed…or something…

In any case it had vanished, and Wilby felt that wondering why was a waste of time.

"Yeah?" Shimmer was asking.

"Nothing. Just that."

"So you found the camera."

"Yeah, but I didn't tell you what I did with it." Wilby said, and did so.

"…Ok it's official. I must be dreaming." Mammoth said at the end, and began pinching himself.

"I think any of us would have woken up by now." Shimmer said. "What's happening?"

"Uh…well I have a theory." Wilby said.

"Well don't keep us in suspense moron, talk!" Mammoth said.

"Uh, uh…well I need to ask you guys what you've seen first." Wilby stammered. Mammoth rolled his eyes, and started recounting his experience in a way that clearly indicated he thought this was a waste of his time.

Until he got to the part about the hell corridor, at which point Shimmer started looking confused.

"Baran, there was nothing there."

"Coulda sworn that…what Selinda?"

"THERE WAS NOTHING THERE BARAN. It was just a hallway. Which really made me wonder why you guys freaked out so much." Shimmer said.

"But Selinda, the hallway was clearly, well, wrong."

"No it wasn't!"

"This fits my theory guys." Wilby said. "You remember that weird power surge? Well…seeing how we've found something out of a video game…and all the weird things happening around here…I was thinking…maybe video games have somehow come to life?"

Silence.

"What the hell are you smoking?" Mammoth said.

"No, listen! This camera, from _Fatal Frame II_, and a corridor that shows a bad thing to you yet nothing to your sister…that sounds a lot like the _Silent Hill_ video game series to me."

"Did you bang your head?"

"Baran, why do you keep insulting him? It's just a theory!"

"BECAUSE IT'S STUPID!" Mammoth suddenly roared. Wilby and Shimmer shrank back, something that Mammoth clearly realized as he saw the fear in his sister's eyes.

"I'm sorry Selinda. But this is…it's ridiculous! The idea of…games coming to life…I mean I've seen weird stuff, but this is…too weird! It…it…OFFENDS me!" Mammoth said, never knowing his thoughts echoed that of Raven, having gone through the same thing last year, right down to the description of the happenings 'offending' him, attacking his sense of place in the world, threatening to open up a line of thinking that would prove dangerous in its sheer consumption…

But unlike Raven, who in the end came to grips with it, Mammoth instead chose to deny it. I suppose one couldn't blame him.

"Whatever it is, it's poisoning this whole place. We need to get out." Mammoth said. "Wilby, get big and guard my sister's back. Anything happens to her, I'll kill you myself."

"But uh…Mammoth, it's hard for me to hold the camera at that size."

"I'll hold it." Shimmer said, slipping the line of leather over her head so the camera hung from her neck. Had that been in the game? Wilby forgot.

"…Ok, ok." Wilby said, and concentrated, his form expanding outward into his massive Hulk-like body.

"Oh, and by the way Wilby? If I run across some midget who tells me the princess is in another castle, you'll be the second one I hit." Mammoth grunted, as he headed down the hallway, Shimmer following him and Rhinoceros Beetle guarding the rear, moving forward in a slow and steady pace.

* * *

Slow and steady, on another hand, was about as far away as you could get from an accurate description of Zippy, as she ran frantically through the hallways of the Hive base, turning randomly, coherent thought completely obliterated under an unending surge of fear, pain, and panic. She knew only one thing: she had to run. Run away, run someplace else, just run run run…

How she avoided running into a wall during her tight turns was amazing, considering she was doing the superspeed equivalent of babbling. She was so out of control she actually ran past Flense, Flay, and Buzz Bomb's group, knocking a few of them over and nearly giving them all heart attacks. Zippy didn't even see them. She had to run. Get away from it all, get away, run run…

The door slammed shut in front of her.

Somehow, Zippy stopped, in a sense: she got rid of enough speed to prevent herself from slamming into the door with bone-shattering force. She still hit the door fairly hard though, and fell to the ground, dazed. But within two seconds she was back up, hammering on the door, clawing at it, needing to keep going, to run…she could run back the other way, as long as she could just keep going, going going going…

The other door slammed shut when Zippy was six feet away from it. Unable to work up any real speed, she skidded to a half as she realized she was trapped, sealed between two doors in a short length of hallway. And she wasn't a Speed Force user: she couldn't vibrate through cardboard, much less steel.

The enclosed space swallowed her scream of terror and despair, as Zippy began to redefine the concept of 'running in circles' as her brain continued to break down.

* * *

"Zippy's still alive." Nightwalker said, as if he heard her wail. "We have to find her."

"…She is?" Rocko said.

"Yeah. And we're going to go look for her." Nightwalker said, even as he glanced at Jinx. She couldn't read his expression, though she thought that he was trying to signal to her for some reason. "But there's a small problem."

"What?"

"I've completed wasted my ammo. We need to make a detour to my room and get more. Otherwise I'll be a burden if we run into another threat. Can't hide behind you for everything." Nightwalker said.

"…Huhn. All right. But make it snappy." Rocko said, as she turned to follow whatever way Nightwalker planned to go. Now Jinx understood: Nightwalker was trying to keep Rocko in the group, and considering Rocko seemed to have a cold, uncaring attitude towards pretty much anything besides the Elementals, he figured that just asking or telling Rocko that he needed to reload would result in Rocko heading off on her own. Which would be bad for Nightwalker and Jinx: maybe they could survive on their own but a powerhouse like Rocko would make it considerably easier.

Nightwalker's room wasn't very far, which didn't surprise Jinx: she had run into him relatively nearby, after he'd fled from Betelgeuse. The door opened with the punched-in code, and the three headed in. Nightwalker had lucked out: he'd come into the Hive at the same time a student who had once shown great promise was leaving, and he'd wound up with the solo room the student had abandoned. There wasn't much in it: a bed, a closet, and a highly modified cabinet that held all of Nightwalker's equipment.

Nightwalker swiftly went to work, removing his gauntlets and giving them a brief once over, and then began opening drawers and extracting ammo packs, putting them in piles before him. They all looked the same to Jinx, though Nightwalker seemed to be able to tell them apart. Spying the bed, Jinx decided to sit down, while Rocko stood there, motionless, like she was a piece of art rather then a walking, talking wrecking machine.

Seemingly satisfied with his ammo choices, Nightwalker opened another drawer and withdrew a first aid kit. He picked it up and opened up the closet, showing a few spare outfits, boots, and two more spare helmets. He selected one of each.

"I'll be right back." Nightwalker said, heading for the bathroom.

"Something wrong with out here?" Rocko asked.

"…I need the mirror." Nightwalker replied, and went into the bathroom, closing the door.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh." Jinx said, pulling herself farther up on the bed so she could lead on the wall that it was set up against, her feet dangling over the edge. "God, it's nice to be able to relax after all that."

"Went through a lot huh." Rocko replied dully, as if Jinx could suddenly spout a magic spell that would revive the Elementals on the spot and she couldn't care, that was how dull her voice was.

"Yes!" Jinx said, giving a very brief description of what she had gone through.

"Seemed like they were hunting you." Rocko said.

"Yeah, I thought that myself, but why?"

"I dunno. Maybe they just don't like you."

"What did I do?"

"Maybe they don't like your new friend."

"Nightwalker? Same thing: what did he do?"

"What do you know about him? Could be all kinds of reason that horrors would seek him out…even if they came from movies."

"Why would movie horror monsters that have magically come to life in a way that defies all sense want to personally seek out and kill, hell, anyone, much less Nightwalker!"

"Like I said Llarenes, in the end you don't know much about him." Rocko replied. Jinx blinked, but said no more.

Twenty seconds passed, as Rocko scanned the room.

"Don't get too comfortable there Miss Jinx. We need to be moving…" Rocko said, turning her eyes back to the bed.

Jinx was asleep. In fact, as Rocko looked at her, she began snoring loudly.

Rocko would have rolled her eyes, if she could do that any more, as she walked over and poked Jinx in the forehead.

"Uh, whuzzuh, Sister I'm sick today…"

Rocko poked harder.

And her finger fell off.

Jinx awoke, as much from the poke as the weight falling in her lap.

"Ah! I'm awake! What the…what's this?" Jinx said, picking up the stone.

Silence, as Rocko looked at her hand.

"What?" Jinx said.

The door opened and Nightwalker stepped back out, adjusting his new helmet as he put his old blood splattered one on a nearby desk along with his old outfit.

"Ok, bandaged up, just give me a few more seconds to load up and…what's going on?"

Then another one of Rocko's fingers fell off.

"Uh oh." Rocko said.

"Uh oh? I don't need to be hearing an uh oh, what is it making an uh oh?" Nightwalker said.

"Nothing that concerns you." Rocko said, turning around and looking at Nightwalker. "Tending your arm injury aside, did you really have to completely change outfits?"

"The last one was breached. Plus it was covered with blood. I HATE being covered in blood." Nightwalker said.

"Is that why you screamed 'Not again!'?" Jinx asked, remembering the odd cry.

"…Yeah. Twice in a minute. I hate blood."

"Then you've picked a bad business." Rocko replied.

"I can handle a little bloodshed, not great gouting sprays going all…Rocko your eye is falling apart." Nightwalker said.

Rocko's blank gaze didn't change, as she lifted a hand and felt around her head…and discovered that a section was indeed breaking down. The very section Uberjason had crushed, to be specific.

"…………Damn." Rocko said, and sat down heavily.

"Hang on, you said there wasn't any uh oh of my concern." Nightwalker said.

"It appears I was too generous with that assessment." Rocko said as she looked at her hand, which was clearly starting to loosen, the tightly packed rocks no longer perfectly put together.

"What's going on?" Jinx said, hopping off the bed.

"My…late friend Scorcher, as you recall, could not be mind controlled by Blood because attempting to control her mind interrupted the great deal of concentration Danielle needed to keep her fire powers under control, fire powers that would rage and destroy everything around her if not kept in check by that concentration. A concentration Danielle could lose if she became exhausted, as well." Rocko said. "My body works under a similar aspect, and it appears that I am, so to speak, running out of steam, losing my ability to keep myself together. In other words, I'm going to pieces."

"What? NOW? Why NOW? Goddamn it!" Jinx cursed. Rocko just chuckled darkly.

"While I have always assumed that it would take more then this to make me suffer such a state, hence this catching me…unawares, I might have just been overestimating myself. After all, Betelgeuse and Buzz Bomb did blow me up."

"What? Buzz Bomb?"

"It doesn't matter. But maybe it's not just that. I was there when Gizmo was speaking his theory that he saw on the blog, the theory you claim you overhead, on how not just the creatures of horror have invaded this place, but the 'way things work' as well. Under those rules I am an anomaly. Victims are supposed to die, not knock Jason into next week. In the face of this so called invincible statistic, it appears they are taking…another route…" Rocko said, as bits of stone began to fall from her head and chest.

"So…you're dying?" Nightwalker asked.

"No. I'm just exhausted, in human terms. I need to rest."

"For how long?"

"If I knew that I'd have said so." Rocko replied. "I am sorry you can't use me as a tanker, but in this state I'd be more hindrance then help." Rocko said, though her tone indicated she probably wasn't very sorry at all.

"…Crap." Nightwalker said, and spun on his heel, as he began stuffing ammo into his utility belt and pulling more out of the drawers. Apparently Rocko's condition had made him rethink his battle plan.

"Will you be all right?" Jinx asked.

"I'll be fine. Even if a creature comes along, they'll just find a pile of stones. And you can't, as the saying goes, get blood from a stone." Rocko said.

"Jinx, catch." Nightwalker said, tossing something to the pink-haired girl. She caught it, barely. It looked like a compact remote control with only three buttons.

"What's this?"

"High concussion miniature incendiary device. A somewhat fancier grenade, if you will." Nightwalker said, as he put another one in his belt and held out another. "Blue button is three second timer, green button is ten second timer, red button stops timer if you push one of the other two buttons accidentally. Fortunately they require some pressure so I think you can carry it in your pocket."

"Think?" Jinx said.

"Hey, nothing's certain in life." Nightwalker said, putting the second bomb in his belt. "Take this too." He said, tossing her a small swiss army knife. "You never know when a blade will come in handy."

"Here…" Rocko said, as she reached down and then literally opened her chest, extracting a few small satchels. "Something I grabbed in case there were any doors I couldn't knock down. High-end C4 bombs. Enough to blow through a few doors. More if you know what you're doing."

"…I know." Nightwalker said, grabbing the satchels, as he went back over to his closer, withdrew a larger bag, put the satchels in, zipped it shut, and slung it over his shoulder. "You want me to lock the door?"

"Doesn't matter." Rocko said.

"As you wish." Nightwalker said, heading out. After a bit, Jinx followed.

Rocko sat there, alone. It didn't much bother her, as she felt her body slowly breaking down.

Maybe she shouldn't have lied. Because she might need a lot more then a nap, the way she really fell…

Her head crumbled to pieces, her body swiftly following.

"What do we do now?" Jinx asked Nightwalker outside.

Nightwalker was about to reply, when he spotted movement.

The fired orb missed Mittens by an inch, as the cat jumped straight up in the air in surprise and then ran away before Jinx and Nightwalker knew what had happened.

"…Just my roommate's cat." Jinx said.

"Damn thing's lucky it hasn't been killed. You'd think it would take a hint and stop approaching people who are really on edge."

"He's probably just hungry."

"Feeding that cat is very low on my list of priorities Jinx."

"Then what's on top of the list?"

"I guess we try and find Zippy. Least we can do."

"And you can't think of anything else."

"Well yes but you insisted on calling me on it, thank you very much." Nightwalker groused, and started heading back the way they had come.

* * *

Trapped trapped trapped like a rat caught in a vise can't stay have to go get away run run run…

Unable to hold a thought or a coherent plan for more then a few seconds, Zippy careened all over the small enclosed space the doors had sealed her in, making and abandoning plans before they could even begin to get results, first hammering on the door, then punching the keypad, then scratching the door, then hammering on it again, then running around the hallway before starting over again, sometimes pounding in the walls or screaming sometimes thrown in for good measure. Nothing worked, and it just made it worse: it seemed like it was inevitable Zippy's brain would shut down and she'd curl up in a ball and never come out of it, leaving her easy prey for whatever monster came along next, because all she could do was run run run it started her life it was her life she had to run get away RUN…

Due to the small length of hallway, Zippy couldn't build up to her maximum speed, in which she actually turned into a bolt of lightning. But she was running back and forth enough that some of her electricity properties were starting to affect the space she was trapped in. The air had become charged with static, and there were actually scorch marks on the floor where Zippy had come to a stop.

And electromagnetism were all starting to come into play…

As it flew at Zippy, the girl barely being able to see what it was before it slammed into her face, knocking her down and against the wall, as she screamed and fought and clawed at her attacker…before realizing it wasn't attacking her. It was a metal grate, and it had been…attracted to her.

But where would the grate come from, unless…

Zippy saw it then, concealed partially in the ceiling shadows. An air duct, which the grate had covered, which led…somewhere, anywhere but here.

Small too, but that didn't concern Zippy. What mattered was it was an out, a way to get away, somewhere to run…

So Zippy ran up the wall (not especially hard to so even at human speeds) and clamped onto the edge of the grating, pulling herself in. She was a small girl, the size of her legs aside, and those were smaller then most people realized (Zippy hated having them photographed: they seemed grotesquely large in pictures), but as mentioned, the duct was small too. But where there's a will, there's a way…

She managed to make it fit, barely. But the very cramped conditions prevented her from performing anything but a slow forward crawl. And she had no idea where the air duct went.

But it didn't matter. She could keep going. So she did.

* * *

And speaking of impeded if not outright interrupted progress…

"Slippin rippin zang fang rotten consarn overfancy DOOHICKEY!" Billy Numerous cursed as he punched at the keypad that refused to let him in. He was CERTAIN this was a way out, but the darn door wouldn't open. And Billy had never been very good at remembering codes, as he hauled back and slapped the wall.

"Can't open it Billy?"

"Darn thing won't open Billy!"

"No good fancy tech!"

"City folk with their stupid e-lec-tron-nics, whatever happened to a good old length of chain and a metal lock?"

"It worked for great grandpappy!"

"All the way to pappy!"

"Until Bobby Bubba got tooted on that bad moonshine and drove his tractor straight through the side of the house, but there was ex-ten-you-atin' factors there!" Billy finished. Yes, that had all been Billy: when you could clone yourself, talking to yourself took a whole new meaning. And if you think I'm really hammering on Billy's supposed 'redneck' characteristics, it's not like his lone episode gave me much to build on.

"Did ya'll try password?" Billy asked.

"You know durn well Blood's not stupid enough to make it password!"

"Did you try it?"

"…Fine!" Billy said, and typed in PASSWORD.

BUZZ.

"See! Not password! Knowing Blood it's some silly high-falootin' word like 'antikatease' or 'shrimp toast'. Who the devil puts shrimp on toast anyway? Whatever happened to good ol' peanut butter…"

"Who's that?" Billy said, pointing down the hall, as the Billy working at the password (who happened to be the original Billy), turned away to see.

A man was standing at the end of the hallway. Billy arched an eyebrow.

"Hey! Who the heck are you!" Billy said.

The man didn't answer.

For some reason Billy felt his hackles raise. The man didn't look very threatened. True, he was tall (forget that: he was TALL: at LEAST 6'8, and quite possibly even taller), but he was also old, with shoulder length brown hair that had mostly gone to gray. He was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and tie, and his hands were clasped in front of him. As Billy watched, his left eye squinted, as if he had trouble seeing out of it…or if he was trying to examine Billy closer. Billy felt the hairs on his neck rise even more.

"Hey! Who ARE you?"

"You got a name?"

"Can you even talk, retard?"

The man did not reply. Instead, he turned, slowly, as if he was walking in slow motion, and started walking down the hallway.

"Hey! Wait a minute! You can't just walk away!" Billy said, as he started after the man.

And then he heard it, though he couldn't place just what it was. A strange humming whistle…

Then it flew around the corner, stopping dead in mid-air.

"What the…!"

The sphere turned, aiming itself down the hallway, and then it flew at Billy, who wisely ducked.

However, one of the clones behind him wasn't so lucky, as the sphere slammed into his forehead, blades shooting out and digging into the bone to lock it to his face, as the other clones jerked away from the impaled one, who stumbled back, yelling.

Then the horror really started, as the front of the sphere opened up, a drill emerging, and it only had one place to go.

Forward.

The clone screamed as the drill bored into his face, even as the original Billy felt the backlash: he was linked to his clones, and while he didn't exactly feel what they felt, he still felt it, though for him it was more like a maddening itch. And he only noticed it in a very small way, as he was too busy staring in horror as blood shot out of the back of the sphere in a great stream, splattering on the floor as the sphere lobotomized the clone, which finally fell, blood pouring down its face.

Billy stared, feeling like he had been punched in a stomach. His clones could die, he knew that. He even knew, through testing, that it didn't affect him all that much: his 'master' body remained unharmed. But it didn't feel good, oh no, and hence Billy did his best to avoid it. And here was this damn flying ball drilling into his clone's head…

The sphere had killed it.

And Billy didn't like that.

So he acted, as he ran up and kicked the sphere, ripping it from the clone's head with a messy wet breaking noise. It hit the wall and lurched off, still floating but very wobbly, and then Billy kicked it again. It fell to the ground, and all the Billys proceeded to stomp on it until it stopped moving, thoroughly crushed.

The dead clone was already fading away. Billy had never fully understood his talent: a Hive scientist had once explained it as "The ability to manifest a separate yet linked physical sentience via manipulation of the molecules of matter" but Billy had become lost after the forth word. All Billy knew was he could make more of himself, his clones could as well, and they could command each other and know what the other was thinking, but they all manifested pain, and death, by themselves, and once they died, the whatever connection that had allowed Billy to make them was broken and they returned from the nothing he had pulled them from. The only way to stop Billy was to either exhaust his abilities to clone (and after the Titans beat him he was more aware of those), or harm or kill the original Billy, which was damn hard when he could so easily lose himself in all the copies he had summoned/made from nothing.

And Billy now had a hankering to stomp that old man into the same nothing. Oh, he had sent that sphere, Billy didn't need any of those so called smarts that scientist had, and he was going to pay, because no one…

"Here comes ANOTHER!" A clone screamed.

It was two, actually, as the spheres hit the corner and stopped (they seemed to have trouble turning). In the tight confines, Billy fell all over himself trying to get out of the way, and wasn't very successful. One sphere pinned a clone's hand to the wall, while another hit the back of another clone. The spheres didn't get a chance to engage their drills this time though, as other clones seized the spheres and yanked them out, hitting and smashing them until they were 'dead'.

"That's IT." Billy said, as he began rapidly forming more of him, the whole hallway filling up. "Let's go stomp a mudhole in that senile coot's ass!"

Billy agreed, as they all charged down the hallway, some diverting into rooms to grab weapons, as they went after the man, who as far as Billy could tell was headed for one of the training rooms.

* * *

It's funny how a forcible slowing down can affect your thought process. Though slowing down didn't come to Zippy easily, for obvious reasons. But trapped in the tight confines of the air duct, her brain found it just didn't have the energy to keep ricocheting around like a pinball and began to slow down, returning to a state that couldn't claim to be normal but was a hell of a lot more ordered then it had been five minutes ago.

Oddly, Zippy found herself remembering the past…

Memories. Memories of happier times and places. Namely, her home. Not her home as in her father's house, that was almost as nightmarish as this hellhole. No, she was talking about her home in Beach Shine City, California. One memory came to mind, Halloween, six years ago. It was her first Halloween with the Elementals. She was thirteen years old and Floral was eleven, so they planned to go trick or treating together. However, despite her leniency and right to free will, Danny (probably nineteen at this point) wouldn't let them go out without a chaperone…

_"Trick or treat!"_

_The two girls held up their bags to a door as it opened slowly, a disgruntled looking man coming to the door. Floral was wearing a SWAT officer costume, complete with mini-gasmask, helmet and walkie-talkie, while Zippy was wearing the classic outfit of Storm from the X-Men. Having seen them on TV, she wanted to try it out, despite the fact that Storm was black, and Zippy was yellow with a wig on. _

"I ain't givin' a freaky thing any candy." He said, noticing Zippy's skin tone, though not Rose, as she was covered in SWAT gear. 

_"Sothat'saTrick?" Zippy asked, somewhat disappointed, but at the same time almost excited._

_"What?" The man said, unable to decipher Zippy's rapidfire speaking manner._

_"Atrick?" _

_"…Yep, a trick. Do ya worse." The man at the door taunted, about ready to close said door in the young girl's faces, though he paused when Floral lifted up her mask and placed two fingers in her mouth, whistling sharply. He snorted to himself: probably some small dog to yap at him, one he could easily scare away. He had been notorious for turning away small children who dared to come on to his property and try to get food off him (part of him wondered why he even bothered to answer the door at all), and this year was no different from the rest. This was the night of ghouls and ghosts, a small dog won't…._

_And then something came down the path._

_It sure as hell wasn't a dog._

_It was a huge creature in ruined clothing, torn rags that hung limply from its mammoth frame, a white mask covering its face. If it wasn't so dark you would be able to see what looked like stone work underneath the clothing. The creature defined the term giant, and was muscular at that, and here he came, lumbering down the path, redefining the term 'huge' as he grew closer with each step, making the ground shake along with said step, though the man would never know that was simple, though subtle geokenetic manipulation rather than the creature's size. Also, each step seemed to make the plants around him wilt, though again this wasn't due to him but delicate plant control on behalf of another individual. All things considered though, it was one scary piece of work, one that might have made the man at the doorstep wet his pants if he had anything to drink earlier. _

_The creature roared at the man on the doorstep, raising up what looked like a chainsaw, except it was like he was, beyond normal size, though because of the light it looked slightly off. The man could only gawp at the sight, unable, unwilling to accept this, but unlike Mammoth or Raven, he was yet to be 'offended' by this: to him it was just plain terrifying. _

_"Youweresaying?" Zippy asked, holding up her bag for the goodies, perfectly in time with Floral. The man just stared in shock as he gave them as much as he could find in the cupboards, petrified completely out of his wits. That was indeed one hell of a trick: these two would go down in legend. Maybe he should actually give stuff to kids from now on?_

_The two girls and their 'monster' walked on down the path and up to the next door, knocking on it. This time a middle-aged woman answered, looking in much higher spirits, as she actually had a costume and the paraphernalia outside her house. Dressed as a generic witch outfit the woman smiled broadly. _

_"Trick or treat!"_

_"Oh you two do look a picture. Is that you under there Rosie?" She asked, trying to look under the mask, only to get an excited nod from the young girl. "So who's your very extravagant friend here?" She turned to the hyperactive girl who stood there, humming to herself. _

_"This is Sally! She's living with us now!" She smiled contentedly, putting her arm around the young Zippy's shoulder and giving her a quick squeeze, which seemed to get the response of waving. _

_"Oh how wonderful! But isn't it a bit late for you girls to be out though?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as a look of mild worry came over her face._

_"Oh, we're not alone!" She pointed to the monster behind her, who reared up with both arms and yelled, though minus the earth shaking or the wilting flowers. Even his voice wasn't half as scary as it had been, though it was enough to make the older woman step back a bit, only to relax and breath heavily, placing a hand on her collarbone, trying to calm herself down. _

_"Oh! Rocko! You really are a mean one!" She said, a laugh in her shocked voice as the creature brought his arms down and lifted up his mask, revelling a face covered in bandages, which also wore on it a large smirk. The bandages crossed the nose, mouth and head, leaving the eyes exposed, eyes full of humour. _

_"Hey Lady Grey, didn't mean to send you greyer. Do I get a hug this year or what?" He asked, chuckling to himself, though this earned him a slap on the arm, with him backing up in mock defence and fear. Yes, this was Rocko, aka Lorant Smith, when she was a he. Rocko was a young, vibrant man with rock like skin, though unlike her present state he had flesh on the inside, it was just his skin that was tough and coarse. Standing it at six foot seven and 21 years old, he was best friends with H-Duo (A play on H__2__0, as in Water), or as those closest knew him Henry Dubowski, though that was only Scorcher and Rocko: the other girls didn't know his real name and just called him "H" or "Duo"._

_Rocko was well known as a hero in these parts, not wanting to give up on anything but at the same time having a good time at whatever he was doing. Always cracking jokes, he was never taken seriously by anyone, including the hundreds of women he seemed to 'proposition'. Zippy had been with the group less than a year, but even she could tell that he had a particular notoriety when it came to women and that was he was completely useless. _

_This was Beach Shine City, California. A small town that was once the base of a huge city, hence it's name, until a giant earthquake reduced it to smouldering rubble. Unable or unwilling to rebuild it fully, either because there was no money or everyone had left, it became a town, home to less than 10,000 people, but despite it's small size it was a good place to be and even had it's own local team, the Elementals. _

_At the time, Scorcher and her team had been like how the Titans used to be, before the arrival of Savior; Young, carefree and loving life. They were more of a group of friends than a team, going out for pizza wherever possible, getting into surprising shenanigans, staying up late and worrying about, as the papers put it, Boyfriends, School and Justice on the weekend. In all fairness the Elementals did a wonderful job, and Beach Shine was known as one of the most pleasant places to live as everyone looked out for each other, and in turn people knew each other there. _

_It was kinda like the show Cheers in that respect. _

_But to those lucky few, this was home. They had everything they really needed, friends, family, a home, a job, a store, and a car so they could visit neighbouring cities, actual cities, to pick up anything Beach Shine didn't have._

_"Now don't eat all that tonight, or you'll be sick and Danny won't be happy." Lady Grey said while she handed them their well-earned sweets. "By the way, where is she anyway?"_

_"Oh she had to help volunteer at the last minute: she would be out with the girls otherwise, so I offered to watch the brats… I mean the little darlings." Lorant said a smirk on his face and a laugh in his voice, making sure that the 'brats' heard the last part._

_"Old man!" They both retorted, not looking too impressed. _

_"Well take this back so you three 'old people' can enjoy some adult chocolate." Lady Grey said as she handed him a box of fancy, hand made treats as a thank-you for all the effort they put into the city, and more so they could enjoy themselves without stealing any of the children's sweets. He took off his mask, placing it to his chest and bowed lightly, before the three waved goodbye._

When the night was over, Rocko led the children home to meet an expecting Scorcher, who had just arrived home and was talking with another figure. He was only an inch taller than she was, and with her roaring fiery hair it was hard to tell any height difference at all. He had a handsomeness about him that could make women melt, but at the same time a sort of ruggedness that prevented him from ever being classed as a 'pretty boy'. His frame was thin and light, though it had enough muscle on it so he could hold his own in a fistfight. His long hair was pulled back into a ponytail, though what was strange about it was its style… It was made out of something, and it didn't look like hair.

_Water. _

_It flowed like water, it shone like water and if you actually got close enough it tasted and smelt like water (though that fact was, how shall we say, very obscure), though the hair stayed in one place, unlike actual water, which needed a container to do so. His skin was a subtle blue, a light colour not many would have expected. His outfit was casual, and he spoke to Scorcher in a tone that, like his appearance, was contradictory. A harsh nature was placed delicately over his well-spoken manner. This was Henry Dubowski, H-Duo, the man that Scorcher had gone through hell and high water to try and bring back. Or as Floral put it, Dad. _

_"We're home!" Rocko called, taking off his mask for the last time and unwrapping some of the bandages on his face so his mouth could be seen. _

_"The girls okay?" Scorcher called back. Barely an adult herself, and she had so much responsibility heaped onto her shoulders, which were not as slender as they are today. Better food and a habit of building herself up so she could be a walking fireplace all winter usually did that to a person. _

_"Yeah, they're fine." He called back. At this point, the two of them came in and dumped their gains onto the table. It seemed that with a real life monster on their side, they had managed to score more candies than all the other two child teams who would try to muscle in on their territory, so to speak. _

_Rocko put down his carefully constructed cardboard chainsaw (hence why it had looked off), as Scorcher lightly rubbed Floral and Zippy's hair, before quickly reaching in and grabbing a handful of candy. _

_"HEY!" Both the pre-teens yelled, but before even Zippy could do anything Scorcher was unwrapping and eating them. _

_"Just making sure that they are okay to eat." She said with a smirk, munching away happily. _

_"Liar!" The girls accused in a playful manner. _

_"Well think of it this way." H-Duo started, cleaning his glasses. "If she DOESN'T, that means we don't get a fireplace for Christmas this year." He smiled lightly, stroking his chin with his free hand after having wiped his glasses. He needed a shave, Zippy remembered thinking. _

_"Yeah, you have to let your queen grow fat on your offerings!" Lorant snarked, acting as melodramatic as he usually did. _

_"I don't get fat!" Scorcher said, throwing a wrapper at him, alongside a jawbreaker, which hit him square on, making him recoil in mock terror and pain._

_"ThisisthebestHalloween EVER!" Zippy declared, waving her arms in an excited manner._

_"Oh?" Duo asked, as both the young girls looked at each other, before turning and shouting, which could only leave a slight smile on the faces the young adults. _

_"YES!"_

Zippy sniffed, a tear running down her face. Such better days…all gone. H-Duo was dead, killed in the event that had set the Elementals on the path they had walked, straight to the Hive…and to this bizarre distortion of reality that had claimed them all. Rose, Danielle, Antoinette…all gone, cut down like dogs. And Rocko…well maybe she was still alive, but only in the loosest possible sense. Lorant's original body was long dead, and seemingly all of his caring and joy with it: his laid back witticisms had been replaced with somber silence, a life without living. She, Zippy, was the last of the living Elementals.

Why should she go on?

Maybe she was the last Elemental period. And without them, Sally Markson had no identity. Forget her speed or electricity powers, her past, her relationships…all she had had was them, her family. All gone…all gone…

…Why keep fighting? She could just go with them. Just lay back and let the world take her…

Zippy's journey came to an abrupt end as she finally came to another grate. As if on autopilot, Zippy pushed on the grate until it fell off, and then she yanked herself out of the grating, flipped over herself as she held onto the edge of the air duct, and then dropped to the floor. She appeared to be in one of the training rooms.

Her legs were cramping, preventing her from running, so she started walking it off, even as her thoughts swirled.

Just give it all up…stop trying…

She saw the desks then, and more memories came to her…

_"And whut can we all learn from this here situation?" _

_A classroom, possessing everything a classroom should have: seats for students, albeit done in the style of a lecture hall rather than a high school, students themselves, a teacher's desk, a revolving blackboard, even an apple on the teacher's desk. And of course, a teacher, Scorcher, who was rolling away a TV, on which the class had seemingly just viewed something that Scorcher was now asking them about. _

_"Yes Rosie?" She said as she pointed to a young student in the front row. _

_"That a Hostage situation tends to lead to easier arrests." _

_"This is indeed true, but ain't quite what I'ma looking for." _

_"Ma'am?" Wilby said, as he raised his hand, and she nodded in anticipation to see what answer he would come out with. "That your plan is only as good as your escape route?"_

_"Yes, those two points are whut I wanted, thankin' you kindly Wilby and Rosie." Scorcher turned and started to write on the blackboard. "For you see, because if ya'all are in a hostage situation, eight times out of every ten you will be standing still! You will be in a buildin' because that is where the hostages you wanted ARE!" She drew lots of arrows pointing to a, rather crudely drawn, building on the board. "Unless you only have one hostage, moving 'em would be a suicide mission as with any large number of people, some of them could escape and get help, or if'in ya already been discovered then you're really in fur a treat because SWAT teams will be tryin' to put a hole through ya."_

_"Then why don't we just forget the teams and rob the bank ourselves?" Cord said. "I don't need any losers dragging me down."_

_Scorcher looked over at the arrogant teen, and pondered whether she should give him the effort of a thought or just light him on fire. In the end she chose the thought._

_"Remember class, this is a world where very few of you can make it on your own. You have to watch out for each other. That's why you should form teams, and not denote others as worthless. Giving up on others is the same as giving up on yourself, and vice versa. And those who give up…well, you're stealing the money and the jewels and the whatnot from them. They don't deserve them for giving up, so we take them. Because in that kind of apathy, you don't even deserve to die."_

_Before she could continue however, the bell rang and shouted out that it was time to go._

_"Alright, seein' as it's the Halloween party tonight I won't e givin' ya homework, nice ol' me." She said to her class with a smile. Though it seemed to fade when all she got was a few smiling glances. "This is the part where ya say I'm not that old…"_

The memory brought a pause to Zippy, as she remembered just how Scorcher and her had once been good guys, and to try and bring back Duo, they had crossed the moral line and become villains, Scorcher even teaching kids how to properly commit crimes, something that would have once been anathema to her. But she'd been willing to give up, to sacrifice, to bring the family back together…

Maybe Zippy should too. If she was the last of the Elementals, maybe it would soil Scorcher's memory to give up. Scorcher had been willing to sacrifice and grit through the pain in the hopes a brighter future would come of it. Maybe that was Zippy's burden now, to go onward on her own…

Because as Scorcher had herself said once, fate has a funny way of popping up reasons to keep going…

And then Zippy saw the robe.

It lay on the desk, limp and flat. Seeing how it was the only thing in the room, Zippy was naturally attracted to it, as she walked over, getting the last of the kinks out of the way as she did so. She looked down at it. A Hive robe…what was that doing on the table. Zippy lifted it up…

And jerked her hand away, the limb coming back sticky. She hadn't noticed due to the dark purple coloring, but the robe wasn't dry. It was soaked with blood.

And then Progeny's head fell down onto the pile.

Zippy screamed, backing away, looking at the head…what was left of it. Progeny's talent may have been disturbing, but the ability to fly apart and have your body protected by some kind of shield in the process could make one hard to kill. No sense pulling off a head if it came off naturally.

But whoever had done the deed had apparently taken that into account, because only half of Progeny's head was there. The rest was gone, the head perfectly ripped in half, brains oozing from around the fractured skull, a sightless, confused eye staring at Zippy, as if wondering, how could I fall for the classic rule: never have sex in a horror film.

Especially if you're not wholly sure who your partner is. Progeny thought it was Melanie, and the essence surely helped him think that…but we know it wasn't Looker. Then…who was it?

Zippy walked up again, as if trying to make absolutely sure it was Progeny, and if so, maybe tell who had done this to him…

Not who.

WHAT.

It plunged from the ceiling, and Zippy shrieked and ran backwards as short but powerful claws nearly missed her neck, the desk collapsing under the impact as the creature landed on it. It remained semi-crouched, looking at Zippy with angry, reptilian eyes that were colored a dark orange color.

It looked human only in the barest sense: It stood upright, and from the bare breasts it was clearly a woman. But there was no soft flesh or hair on this creature: its body looked composed of a organic black armor, spines extending from her back and her head a long elongated, upright, and interlocked series of tendrils that reminded Zippy of the hairstyle of the Bride of Frankenstein. It looked like someone had crossed a human with one of the xenomorphs from the _Alien_ series.

Which made sense, didn't it? After all, the same artist had created both fictional creatures. The alien…and the being before Zippy.

"Sil." Zippy said.

She remembered the film, a movie called _Species_. Scorcher had gotten it expecting a strong grrrl power theme, not expecting there to be so much violence. Sil was the villain, a human/alien hybrid that was driven by one thing: an overpowering desire to mate. She had clearly tried with Progeny, but had found him lacking in some way (perhaps his talent disturbed her), and when it came to lovers, Sil was very much like a praying mantis. But why would she be looking at Zippy…

Then Zippy remembered another scene, when Sil had first tried bar hopping and met competition in the form of another woman. Competition Sil had dealt with viciously and brutally.

And people were always telling her that the sexual tension between her and Hermes could be cut with a knife…

The same tension that Sil was apparently picking up, maybe not in the same form but still sensed and interpreted. As a threat.

Organic tentacles on Sil's body were holding something, Zippy realized. Progeny's body. Apparently Sil had gotten hungry and had been snacking up on the ceiling when Zippy had shown up.

She released it, withdrawing the tentacles back into her, her fingers clenching.

"Uhoh." Zippy said.

Her speed amazed even Zippy.

* * *

"Damn it! Looks like we missed him." Patrick said, examining the computer room that had once had Gizmo in it.

"Well then let's move people they're not paying us by the hour!" Belinda said, as the Hive drones and students started back down the hallway.

"Why won't you let me look for batteries…" Buzz Bomb whined.

"QUIET!"

Buzz Bomb scurried behind Flense, whimpering. Flense pulled away from him with an aggravated snort.

"Why is he even in this group?" He asked Flay.

"Well when he's calm he really is a genius with explosives…"

A sudden eruption of noise came from Flay, or rather his coat, which nearly got him shot as the drones whirled around, arming their guns.

"AHHHHHHH!"

"Watch it!" Flense yelled, grabbing the guns with his tendrils. "It's just his communicator!"

"Yeah, it is…" Flay said, a bit surprised as he withdrew said communicator, a giant racket coming from the small device. "I thought all communications were down…"

The sound at the other end consisted of a whole bunch of voices…but they were all the same, which let Flay get a bead on the speaker.

"Billy, is that you?"

More racket.

"BILLY!"

"What the…hey the communicator's working! That you Simon?"

"Yeah!"

"Well good to know someone else is alive! I got separated from everyone and I'm all by lonesome now! But don't worry, I've got plenty of company to do what needs to be done!"

"Billy you…what needs to be done?" Flay asked.

"Some old geezer picked a fight with me! So I'm going to go give him a good kickin'!"

"An old geezer?"

"Yeah, ancient bugger, screwing up his face at me, throwing these damn killer orbs, ran off for one of the training rooms, but I'll get hi…teach h…esse w…" Billy's voice began to garble and break up.

Flay was about to reply for clarification, when Flense suddenly grabbed the communicator away from him.

"BILLY, STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" Flense roared, startling everyone.

"…whu…" Was all that came out.

"BILLY, GET AWAY! THAT'S THE TALL MAN! YOU CAN'T HANDLE HIM! GET AWAY! STAY…away…SHIT!" Flense said, as nothing was coming from the communicator but static.

"The Tall Man?" Belinda asked.

"Betelgeuse and the Creeper are nothing compared to him. If he's in this place, he's ready, and he'll sift Billy like wheat if we don't get there, NOW." Flense said.

"Why do you care?" Asked one of the unnamed drones.

"…………..I've seen enough death tonight. Besides he's yo…our teammate!"

"And does he deserve to be if he can't handle an old man?" Shane asked.

Flense looked grim.

"That's no ordinary old man. And what's worse then him is what he commands."

* * *

Which Billy was finding out first hand, as he had been putting the once again dead communicator away as he swept into the training room with his army of one, so to speak.

Who all stopped dead.

The room had been cleared away, blood still slick on the floor, and in the middle of the room stood a mortician's table, with what had once been a Hive drone's body lying on it. Now…

The Tall Man pulled his hands from the opened up head of the drone, slowly turning to look at Billy, even as he withdrew a small cloth and wiped his hands on it, looking at the amassed group.

"…So. You came to me." The Tall Man said, in a ragged, dragging voice that overflowed with menace. "Very well then…" The Tall Man continued, as he picked up what looked to be a tuning fork from next to the body. "BOY." He finished, dragging out the Y.

And The Tall Man rang the fork.

And on the ceiling, the sight that had stopped Billy…the spheres. Hundreds and hundreds of them, thousands, most a polished silver, some a radiant gold…and all of them starting to move.

And before Billy could do anything, the door slammed shut behind him.

"…Well stomp on frogs and shove a crowbar up my nose." Billy said in soft shock.

And the spheres flew down, whirling around the Tall Man as he looked upon his new material, his fresh meat, his expression never changing but looking satisfied all the less, as the legion of spheres lanced at Billy.

* * *

_"If that doesn't hold him for at least a few hours, I want my money back."_

Fool. Who did she think she was?

In what had once been a cafeteria, wreckage began to stir.

Maybe this would hold down anyone else, but he was beyond such things!

The wreckage erupted as the massive figure shoved it off of himself. He was Jason Voorhees, anti-life itself, and a few middling tons of rock wasn't going to stop him!

Uberjason cracked his neck, and then reached down to his side. Rocko maybe have broken his machete…

Uberjason withdrew another, this one old fashioned, nearly black with rust and the blood of victims.

Yeah, the classics were always the best.

Uberjason walked across the room and retrieved his chain-spear, and then on a whim, walked over to the shattered fire protection display and retrieved the axe from it. Yeah, just like old times.

Except this time he'd leave them all lying in a pool of blood, as he turned and began walking, hunting, seeking the living to make them the dead.

_CH CH CH AH AH AH…_


	8. Onslaught

Part 8: Onslaught

Billy Numerous had never been the sharpest tool in the shed.

Maybe part of it was upbringing, and maybe part of it was simple cockiness. There hadn't been a situation he couldn't overcome by throwing more clones at it. After all, weren't numbers everything? Didn't he who had more win?

Billy believed that, and it seemed to bear out when he confronted the Titans and took care of them, even getting around that fancy chip the cyborg supposedly had.

But it also doomed him, because when the Titans had returned, seemingly with their own duplication powers, Billy hadn't thought for a second it could be a trick. He thought that they'd somehow copied him, and in the process, mocked him. Billy hated being mocked, so he struck out, never realizing he was playing right into their hands, never drawing a bead on the fact that all the Titan clones were avoiding him. He just kept making more and more until his power burned out, his anger going with it. To Cyborg, it was pretty easy. If you can't win physically, win mentally.

And Billy hadn't gotten any smarter. He'd assumed that the old man was just that, that he had already tried to his best and failed, and full of righteous anger he'd made a bunch of hims and stomped after the old man to extract some righteous vengeance.

And walked right into the Tall Man's clutches.

And now, faced with an army of flying killer spheres, Billy could only stand and gasp in horror, his face almost fish-like in its surprise. He could only come up with one battle plan: don't get killed.

The answer: more clones.

And that's what started appearing, popping in next to their comrades, their mindset immediately locked into the universal surprise all of Billy shared.

As Billy turned and threw himself into their mass.

And then the spheres struck.

Absolute pandemonium reigned as dozens of spheres attacked, knives shooting from their bodies as they slammed into clone heads, their drills emerging and performing instant lobotomies, blood spraying everywhere, instant slaughter, and even then more clones appeared, and then more, and then more, as Billy's survival instincts continued firing full bore.

Oh he was feeling the deaths all right, but his sheer fear and adrenaline was blocking most of the sensation. All he cared about was escaping, with a dusting of 'fight back', and even as he did his best to lose himself in his masses more clones appeared, as the army finally tried to get itself together and use the free will it did possess to fight back.

The battle was still one-sided. The spheres, unburdened by the need for such things that were inherent in movies, like a budget, a factor that had plagued the Titans as well, were everywhere, and they were damn fast and armed to the teeth as well.

Several golden spheres swooped into the mass. One opened its front and fired off a powerful laser blast, blowing open a clone's chest, even as another's side opened up, sprouting whirling buzz saws as the sphere twirled in and ripping the whole side of a clone's neck out in a great explosion of blood. One clone swatted a sphere from the air with a baseball bat only to have another sphere ram into and start drilling into his leg, and as he screamed another sphere swooped up and came down right on top of the clone's head, his skull starting to crack open as the drill dug in.

Billy didn't know what to do, as he frantically tried to avoid all the flying death orbs. They could only fly fast in a straight line: it took them time to actually turn. Billy tried to use that fact to stay out of their way…at least until he slipped in a pool of blood and went crashing down on his ass.

More spheres swooped in, slicing, drilling, and blasting. The Tall Man's face never changed, but Billy, as he looked up, could almost swear he saw a glint of satisfaction in his eyes.

"You monster! You're the devil hisself!" Billy yelled.

"You underestimate me, boy." The Tall Man replied, once again drawing out the Y so it came out "Boyyy".

Feeling a fresh rush of outrage, Billy reached down into himself and called on more clones, as they appeared all around him…three of them immediately taken down by spheres. Billy jerked from the sensation, and immediately melted back into the crowd, even as the clones tried to escape from the abattoir Billy had thrown them into. One of them actually managed to avoid all the spheres and leap over the morgue table, putting him face to face (well face to mid-upper chest) with the tall man, yelling as he threw a punch.

The Tall Man grabbed the clone by the neck and lifted him up like he weighed nothing.

"And you overestimate yourself." The Tall Man said, and broke the clone's neck so violently he almost twisted the clone's head off. He laid the body down next to the drone.

Screaming, a clone ran past Billy, trying to get the sphere that was drilling into his back off. Another one was swatting spheres out of the air before one flew in, an arm springing out from the front as a small buzz saw fired up at the end, the sphere flying into the clone's yelling mouth and sawing out through the back of his head in a spray of blood and brain matter.

So much carnage, so much death…all around Billy, as he continued to run, popping up more clones that had become little more then meat shields to protect him from the hordes of spheres, and even as he watched another clone was blown in half by a positron laser blast and fell at his feet. Billy jerked and changed directions…and nearly ran into the fence that was erected in the corner of the room. He stopped, staring at it. Of course. This training room had an elevator that led down to the basement of the base that Blood had had the Hive students build for 'homework'. It came up to fill the gap that was in the floor. All he had to do was…

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH GET IT OFF AUUUUUAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" A clone screamed as he stumbled past Billy, a sphere pressed against his chest, teeth-like blades having snapped out of the orb that were whirring against the clone's chest, turning the sphere into a meatgrinder that tore through flesh and bone, as the clone hit the fence and fell over it, screaming all the way down.

And then the panel that called the elevator up exploded from a precise laser blast, and Billy screamed and ran as several spheres led by a golden one swung down and gave chase. Billy distracted them by calling more clones as he ran into another group of them. He couldn't do this much longer. He couldn't keep, for lack of a better term, killing himself. But the doors were closed, and the elevator was now lost to him: the fall down the gap would, if it didn't kill him, break his legs and leave him easy prey.

But he was already easy prey, as the spheres flew, cutting down everyone they touched, blood soaking the floor of the room.

* * *

Sil's speed amazed even Zippy.

But that didn't mean it was enough to take the Elemental by surprise, as Zippy dashed away, Sil's claws slicing only air, and then Zippy dashed back, her fist pistoning out and slamming across Sil's face, knocking her over a desk with a violent crash.

Zippy stopped, stunned at what she had just did. A moment ago, she'd wanted to die, had seriously been considering just letting these creatures take her away from life. But the second one tried, there she was, fighting the good fight all over again. Was it her destiny? Or was she a fool who didn't have a damn clue what she really wanted? She didn't know.

What she did know was that pain was shooting up her arm, breaking her thought processes. Sil's 'alien covering' didn't just make her hideous, it apparently was high grade biological armor as well.

Which had taken Zippy's blow quite well, as Sil half-lifted half-crabwalked herself back up (her legs apparently had more joints then the average human), doing the awkward motion so fast you'd have sworn she teleported, as she shrieked at Zippy and thrust out tentacles, which came from her arm and (this was a very fleeting glance but it disturbed Zippy nonetheless) her right breast, long trails of muscles that were covered with small, subtle but vicious barbs, much like Flense's tendrils.

They wrapped around Zippy's left leg, and any human then would have been in serious trouble.

But when it came to Zippy, the last thing you should attack were her legs.

As Zippy yelled, flexed them, and ran, jerking Sil right off her feet and pulling her through several more desks which went flying before the tentacles tore lose, ripping slight gashes in Zippy's skin, but they were only minor flesh wounds, as Zippy turned on a dime and dashed at the crouched Sil, thrusting up her foot at the last second and kicking the female hybrid right in her face, sending her flying and crashing back into the desk remains that Zippy had found the bloodied robe on.

Zippy felt the impact run all the way up her leg though, the limb tingling a bit. Damn, Sil's relatively small and frail looking form really was a wolf in sheep's clothing: the kick Zippy had delivered would have given her teammate (late teammate, her brain reminded her, and a stab of pain went through the young girl once more) Platinum Blonde a bloody nose. All Sil looked was angry, as she pulled herself up, shrieking at Zippy again.

"Couldyouatleastacthurtorsomething?" Zippy protested.

Sil lunged at Zippy, shrieking.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Nightwalker said, cocking his head.

"Hear what?" Jinx replied.

"Sorry. Forget this helmet can pick up things you can't. Though I heard a weird noise or two…"

"Zippy?"

"Might be. Could also be a trap for all we know."

"Oh…well, fortune favors the bold! Which way was it?"

"…That way." Nightwalker said, as he began slipping ammo packs out. Jinx went on ahead. "I'd also like to say fools rush in where angels fear to tread, but we're no angels." Nightwalker said to himself, and dashed after Zippy.

Nightwalker and Jinx weren't the only one hearing things.

* * *

Gizmo had been brooding over the computer, annoyed over his latest failure that this wasn't the computer that would shut down the shield, when his ears had pricked up. While the base was supposed to be soundproofed, how effective the soundproofing in every room could be varied greatly. Apparently one wasn't perfect: it allowed Gizmo to hear very faint noise if he himself kept quiet. Of course, Gizmo had no idea what the noise was.

He could rectify that though, as he shoved off the chair while pulling out a small keypad, doing calculations on it. They told him that the room most likely making the noises came from the wall in front of him, so Gizmo hovered over to it, part of his personal gear forming into a stethoscope like instrument that Gizmo plugged into his ears and placed against the wall.

He wished he hadn't, as it rang through his ears, the muting and echoing not enough to disguise that the noise in the room beyond this one was screaming, terrible screaming, and lots of it. Gizmo jerked back in shock, staring at the wall.

That was one of the training rooms if Gizmo remembered correctly. One that had a nearby door leading to it.

And Gizmo, as immature and bad as he was, wasn't the type to just walk away from such a thing. Besides, all he could tell was that there was screaming: maybe it was one of the Hive girls. Maybe he could land a date. Or at least not suffer from a guilty conscience, as Gizmo dashed back over to his workstation, stuffing his tools in and picking up his gun. He was in such a hurry he almost opened the door without checking it first, but he caught himself. Nothing beyond the door, as Gizmo flew out, down the hall, and down the right turn to the door that led to the training room…

Which was locked.

Gizmo wasn't much surprised. The keypad was intact though, and Gizmo could use that, as he set himself down next to it, leaned his gun against the wall after glancing behind him, and punched in the master override code.

The door opened…

About half a foot before it stopped, the keypad showing an ERROR message.

"CRAP!" Gizmo cursed. No longer sealed, the true din that lay in the room could be heard, dozens of voices screaming in fear, in pain, in rage, in agony, a dread cacophony that washed over Gizmo. He glanced behind him again: nothing, so Gizmo got on his knees and looked under the crack, trying to see…

A face filled his vision, and he squawked in surprise and jerked back.

"AH! GIZMO!" Billy screamed: he'd happened to be near the door when it had started to open. "GET ME OUTTA HERE!"

"Billy! All right!" Gizmo said: he didn't care for Billy one way or the other, but whatever was going on beyond the door sounded like a fate Gizmo wouldn't leave the TITANS to, much less a classmate, as Gizmo got up and went back to the useless keypad. His several override attempts did nothing.

"HURRY!" Billy screamed, and then he was gone, though Gizmo couldn't tell if something had got him or if he had run away. Gizmo's eyes narrowed as he glared at the keypad, then he reached into his suit and pulled out an electric screwdriver.

"Hold on Billy! This shouldn't be too hard to hack…" Gizmo said, as he began unscrewing the panel.

The spear slammed into it, only missing Gizmo because he'd moved to the side slightly to get a proper angle for the screwdriver. Gizmo yelped and stumbled as a spray of sparks shot from the keypad, Gizmo dropping the screwdriver as he whirled around.

Uberjason yanked his spear back, pulling the whole keypad out of the wall in the process, and with a slight whir, the door behind Gizmo fully slammed shut.

The last thing he heard was a wail from Billy.

* * *

Despite the general badness of the idea, Billy stood where he was, his arms out, his hope for escape seemingly snatched away from him. He was trapped, and in that doomed.

The room was covered in clone bodies, all of them brutalized by the spheres. A fair amount still remained, but they were starting to dwindle: Billy wasn't going to risk making any more clones, otherwise his talent might overload and all the clones would return to him, leaving him the lone target against the Tall Man. Hell, it didn't matter: the spheres would cut down all the clones and find him anyway. So what did he do?

Well, hide some more for now. It was a training room, and hence there were boxes and such to hide behind. Better then being out in the open and the last thing you hear was the humming whistle as the sphere swooped in.

A clone that was going for the Tall Man had a sphere slam into the side of his head, the drilling digging in just below his ear as he stumbled away, screaming. Another clone came in, swinging a length of wood…before a golden sphere flew past, buzzsaws whirring, and sliced off all the clone's fingers. He screamed at the spurting stump…and then another silver sphere flew by with the outstretched saw arm and sliced off his nose. The screams became wet gurgles, as a buzzsaw sphere slammed into the boy's torso and began drilling through, slicing through his guts.

The Tall Man was annoyed for a fraction of a second, then he shrugged it off. He liked the bodies in one piece, but there was more then enough to get off the ground here, start over, as he removed the helmet of the Billy clone he had himself killed and prepared to start the needed procedurals…

Then his left eye narrowed, his face contorting in a painful squint, as it began: the body began to disappear, to fade away before his eyes. The Tall Man clutched at it, but that did nothing, and within two seconds the body was gone entirely.

The Tall Man looked around, and he realized that other bodies lying on the floor were doing likewise, vanishing into the ether…and robbing him of his hard won materials. The squint grew even more clenched, rage blazing in the Tall Man's eyes.

"BOYYYYYYYYYYY!" He bellowed, looking around for the original, for he was certain the original would not disappear when one of his Sentinals pureed his cranial cavity.

Billy gulped from where he was hiding behind some boxes: the old bastard now sounded pissed. And considering he had sliced and diced his way through hundreds of Billy's clones without blinking, he didn't want to know what he would do when he was angry.

* * *

Shimmer was angry.

"BARAN! This itches!"

"Does it impede your movement?" Mammoth asked, arms crossed, eyes unflinching. The three had stumbled across a weapons room, and Wilby had gone in looking for something to use (what a wimp). Much to Mammoth's annoyance, he had insisted on taking the whole room apart, leaving it scattered around the training room the weapon room was attached to (and if you think it's odd that so many Hive members were in training rooms and yet haven't seen each other, remember there were a lot of them, divided into three main areas: Left, Central, and Right. These three were in the Central area, while Billy was in the right wing, and hence was somewhat far away…) because nothing in the room fit his huge hands and Mammoth refused to let him turn back into his shrimpy normal form. So Rhinoceros Beetle kept looking (at the moment he was lugging out barrels, albeit very carefully: Mammoth understood why when he had seen the LIQUID COOLANT on the side: the barrels contained a special fluid that helped keep larger weapons from overheating, and acted like liquid nitrogen if they touched anything organic, like Wilby's flesh), and Mammoth had taken the time to dress his sister up in a suit of Hive battle armor that was in the room, despite all her protests.

"Baran, I…took a long time designing this costume!" Shimmer complained after the suit was shown not to slow her down.

"You can show it off in lesser crisis'."

"Baran, I am not a baby!"

"You're my baby sister, and I told you that I'd always look after you. This is one of those times." Mammoth said. Shimmer sulked.

"He probably knows best Selinda." Wilby said, as he brought out the last box of guns and began looking through it.

"Don't support him!" Shimmer snapped, and kicked Wilby in the ankle.

"OW!"

"Enough. Shimmer, you don't want to be treated like a baby, don't act like one. Wilby, those are all small arms, you'll never find anything in there to fit you. Come on, we've delayed enough. You'll just have to take it if we run into anything." Mammoth said.

Rhinoceros Beetle sweatdropped, and nervously followed the two.

* * *

And in case you were wondering, Zippy was in the left training area.

As Sil leapt at her, covering the distance between the two in two big swift leaps, clawing for the teen, but Zippy was already gone by the time Sil got there: now she was up against the wall. Sil hissed.

"Iguesstalkingourdifferencesthroughisoffthetable." Zippy said.

Sil slashed her arm, and black daggers made of the same material that covered her body flew at Zippy. Could Sil do that in the movie? Zippy forgot, but she figured it didn't matter as Sil was doing it NOW: Zippy ran to the side, managing to avoid the daggers. Though she was starting to get worried. She was a long-range runner, needing time and space to get up to high speeds: she wasn't like Hermes, who could flick his speed on and off like it was a light switch. Short dashes of extreme velocity were not something her body was cut out to do over and over again. And locked in the room as she was, working up a head of steam would be hard…

Especially with Sil leaping at her, shrieking like a harpy, trying to bring a whole new meaning to the phrase 'claw your eyes out'.

Zippy dodged that, but this time she didn't stop running. No. The alien bitch wanted to play? She could play, as she poured on the power, running around the room and past Sil before the alien knew what had happened, and as Zippy halfway completed her second pass she ran up and ONTO the wall, sprinting along the length of it. She couldn't do this for long, but she didn't need a long time: she just needed to get back around the room and line up with Sil…

As she leapt off the wall and slammed her knee and thigh into Sil's head. The impact sounded like a rifle shot, and it smashed the alien hybrid across the entire room. She slammed into the wall with a sickening crack, as Zippy landed, stumbled, and went down on her knees.

"Owwwwwwwww." Zippy moaned, her leg throbbing from the impact.

The loud hiss drew her attention, and she looked up in surprise as Sil pulled herself to her feed via the wall, her claws leaving shallow drag marks behind her.

"OhCOMEON! ThatwouldhavedecapitatedGoliath!" Zippy complained.

Sil was attacking again, leaping for Zippy, and Zippy ran, dodging the claws, then more bone knives…and not dodging the lashing barbed tentacle, which ripped a blood line across her back and a scream from her throat.

Sil made a strange sound: it COULD have been laughter, but it was hard to tell. But it was definitely a pleased sound, as Zippy whirled, holding her back.

"AllrightBITCH…" Zippy said, as electricity crackled in her eyes. "BUCKLEUP."

* * *

"You think she's behind this door?" Jinx asked.

"I'd bet money." Nightwalker replied, the side of his helmet pressed against said door, very faint noises that could have been fighting coming through to its hidden hearing enhancements. He pushed away as Jinx fiddled with the keypad.

"Damn! I think someone locked this from the other side." Jinx cursed.

"Guess we need a different key then." Nightwalker said, as he pulled out one of Rocko's C4 bombs.

* * *

Gizmo didn't have any C4, and even if he did he wouldn't have the time to set it as he looked down the hallway at what had tried to kill him.

Uberjason looked back, and then he put his spear away and started heading for Gizmo.

Gizmo licked his lips. He wasn't really surprised to see Jason. He'd been there last time, from the snatches of security cam footage Gizmo had managed to get, and here he was again, albeit in the form from his latest film. Said film may have been lacking in more then one area, but that didn't much matter now. All that mattered was that he was here and Gizmo was trapped between him and a wall.

Strangely, he wasn't much afraid.

And the reason why stood next to him, as Gizmo grabbed up his custom built gun and aimed at Uberjason, who stopped.

"Shoulda stayed at the camp." Gizmo said, and opened fire, the miniature revolving barrel spraying out a hail of bullets that would have reduced any normal person to hamburger.

Uberjason just looked down at himself as the bullets bounced and ricocheted off of him, not bothering him in the least. At the extremely high rate of fire, it didn't take long for Gizmo to run out of ammo.

Uberjason looked back up at Gizmo, as the very large clip ejected from the special side pack Gizmo had for his ammo.

Gizmo's expression hadn't changed though, as he leaned in close to his gun.

"Armor piercing!"

"Armor piercing." The computer replied as it slammed a new clip of ammo in.

Uberjason's eyes widened a bit.

Gizmo opened fire again, his gun blazing bullets that would have been more at home in a helicopter chain gun, and even Uberjason couldn't shrug them off, as his entire body went into a paroxysm of movement as the projectiles tore through him, driving him back as black blood spurted from the wounds, shells clattering around Gizmo's feet as he drove Uberjason back.

His gun clicked dry.

As the bullets stopped, so did Uberjason, as he leaned down a bit, as if collecting himself, and then looked back up, eyes blazing.

As a missile swung over Gizmo's shoulder and locked on.

"Longing for Tina?" Gizmo asked.

The missile blasted off, the tip opening up into a claw clamp that slammed into Jason and dug in even as the afterburner kicked into high gear and sent his massive frame flying back until it hit the wall.

Gizmo whipped out a remote and pressed the button.

The missile exploded, a series of mini bombs located within providing a devastating wave of explosive concussions. It would have royally screwed up Cyborg.

The fire burned down the hallway, a billowing cloud of burning death, but Gizmo stood still, the heat shining on his face…and then retracting away, the fire burning itself out. Smoke plumed down the hallway in turn.

Gizmo reached over and made a few adjustments to his gun, even as a miniature fan emerged from his backpack and blew the smoke away. His gun adjusted, he started down the hallway.

Jason lay motionless on his back, riddled with holes, his metal mask scorched black. The missile had turned him sideways so his feet were pointing down the right hallway rather then at Gizmo, and Gizmo couldn't see any weapons.

Still, he approached cautiously, carefully skirting around the body and heading back to the computer room…

As Uberjason reared up and buried his axe in Gizmo's back.

Or rather where his back was: the axe went through him. Uberjason's eyes widened again, even as Gizmo uncloaked behind him, as Uberjason turned around.

"I'm not stupid." Gizmo said, and fired. His new gun layout could most aptly be described as if a shotgun and a 50-caliber gun that would normally be mounted on a battleship had a baby: the size of the former, the impact of the latter. The boom was so loud anyone who would have been within ten feet probably would have been temporarily deafened: fortunately Gizmo had earplugs.

And Jason had other problems, as the projectile smashed into him so hard it not only blew a hole in his metal side it shoved him across the entire hallway on his ass, where he crashed into the wall with a ringing bang.

Gizmo simultaneously cocked the gun, ejecting the spent shell, even as he deactivated the anti-grav field that allowed him to actually hold the gun up, the ammo was so heavy. The shell hit the floor so hard it made a dent.

"Maximum impact, minimum recoil. Can I build a gun or what?" Gizmo said, and blew on the barrel.

Uberjason's head snapped up. Gizmo's eyes widened a bit.

"I guess for you it's or what." Gizmo said, as Uberjason started getting up. Gizmo started down the hallway after him. "Well…I always could make a convincing argument when I put my MIND to it!"

**_BOOM!_**

The impact nearly threw Uberjason back on his ass, but somehow he stayed on his feet, as he glared at Gizmo, the new giant hole on his right side leaking blood. Gizmo grit his teeth.

"REALLY need some convincing, eh?"

**_BOOM!_**

The blast hit Uberjason dead center. A normal human's whole upper body would have been reduced to paste. Even Uberjason got a fist-sized hole in him.

But that just seemed to focus his rage, as he stiffened and then looked up, eyes burning with rage. Gizmo, now quite annoyed, cocked again…

And found the gun wasn't cocking all the way. His eyes widened, and he looked down at the weapon.

"…Aw no! Don't jam now! I built you better then that!" Gizmo yelled, as he fiddled with the gun.

Uberjason cracked his neck and started down the hallway.

"Yikes!" Gizmo said, as his jet-wings popped out, and he lifted off and took off down the hallway away from Uberjason, who pursued with slow, merciless determination, picking up his lost axe and machete in the process.

He entered a large room filled with various gymnastic equipment, his eyes darting around for the midget who had hurt him so. He'd hurt him more…

His inhuman senses picked it up, as he turned…

"WATAHHHH!" Gizmo shrieked, trying to sound like Bruce Lee and failing mightily as he zipped in, one hand clutching his metalliplastic weapon in the same of a blade and another holding a lightsaber like laser sword, as he furiously slashed at Uberjason, using his jetpack and small size to keep away from Uberjason's counter machete slice. You might think Gizmo has lost his mind, actually engaging in close range combat, but his gun was still messed up and he hadn't had the time to properly repair it. Plus, he had a personal shield, so it wasn't like he was going in naked, as he swooped in and dashed by, slicing Uberjason across the mask and flying away before he could counter. Uberjason stalked after Gizmo, who swooped back in and rapidly zig-zagged to throw Jason off. It worked, as Gizmo dodged the axe, then the machete, then sliced Uberjason repeatedly with his laser sword before flying off again.

He wasn't happy though: he could clearly see the holes he had made in Uberjason were smaller then before. The bastard was healing. What had happened in the movie? Nanomachines had rebuilt him? Looks like they considered it a full time job. As if Jason hadn't been hard to hurt and kill already. But Gizmo wasn't going to worry: if Crudborg could take the bugger down, he certainly could!

Gizmo did a very narrow loop and attacked Uberjason from the air, avoiding another machete stab as he sliced with his morphing blade and then with his laser…

Jason grabbed the laser sword, much to Gizmo's surprise, the high-ion blade hissing against Uberjason's metal hand. But he had enough of a grip, and enough of a surprise, to yank Gizmo over his head and slam him into the ground, hard, the laser sword sparking out as Uberjason raised his machete and brought it down.

It hit the shield bubble, and for a moment it looked like the air was mightily resisting Uberjason's blow before the shield also shorted out from the unholy strength, leaving nothing between the machete and Gizmo's head.

Fortunately Gizmo has taken that second of delay to move it, the machete nearly slicing his ear off, as Gizmo let out a fearful yell and then spun up, assisted by his gear, as he leapt up and buried the metalliplastic blade deep into the left side of Uberjason's head and then kicked off and flew away with his jetpack. Unfortunately, the blade was buried too deep (huh, Gizmo didn't know his own strength), and it was yanked out of Gizmo's hands, as he flew a dozen feet away and landed, looking grim.

Uberjason reached up and yanked the blade out, as the metal went formless out of its masters' hands.

"Huh. You seem to keep getting hit there, don't you?" Gizmo said nervously, as he rapidly searched for another weapon. Apparently, Uberjason didn't like the fact that he'd once again suffered the head wound/mask notch that had adorned his face for five films, as he immediately began stomping right for Gizmo.

Right about the time Gizmo realized he didn't have any more weapons on his person that could pack enough of a punch to slow down Uberjason.

Which meant he pretty much had no weapons at all.

* * *

"Through here!" Belinda said, as the drones ran up to the locked door, albeit one that was across from the one Gizmo has tried to open.

"You sure?" Flay asked.

"You didn't ask for a trace when you two were talking! If you had, I might be more certain!" Belinda said, as she punched the keypad at the door. To no one's real surprise, it refused to help her. "Dammit! Kane, crack it!"

"Yes ma'am!" One of the two unnamed until just now drones said, as he went over to the keypad and removed tools similar to Gizmo's as he began removing the keypad.

"The rest of you, arm up. Except you." Belinda said, pointing to Flense, as the rest of her companions began checking guns and generally arming themselves.

"Excuse me?"

"You were the one who recognized what Billy was describing, this Tall Man. If you can recognize it off a tossed off comment, you obviously know more then you're letting on."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what I mean!" Belinda snapped. By now Flay and Shane the drone were staring at Flense oddly.

"…You'll have to be more specific."

"Oh quit fucking around! What do you know about this Tall Man?"

"Oh." Flense said. "Well, you think this is the first time I've seen horror films, this night?"

"I've heard of Jason and Freddy, but I've never heard of a Tall Man." Patrick said. Flense's brow furled.

"An…old girlfriend of mine liked arty bullshit films. Around Halloween, she didn't want to get any NORMAL horror films, she had to get this somewhat obscure series called _Phantasm_. And since the films were so fucking confusing, I always had to watch them multiple times. Even then I didn't really understand them."

"Fine. Why's this Tall Man so dangerous?"

"He's not human for one. He's pretty much impossible to kill. He can be hurt, but he just seems to…shrug it off. Literally. They dropped him in a mine and sealed it with a boulder, but he came back…they injected acid into him, but he came back…they hanged him, but he came back…they blew him up…but he came back…"

"I get the point."

"Oh yeah, he's also superhumanly strong. And that's just him. The real danger is these flying spheres he commands. They're super quick and armed with all kinds of fatal weapons, all of which they'll want to dig into your head…and other ones have lasers and buzzsaws. He could also have undead servants or quite possibly evil dwarf slaves."

"Evil…dwarf slaves?"

"I didn't write the movie! It's some plot point, he wants dead bodies, by fair means or foul, so he can put them through some shrinking process, shrinks down the brain so he can put in those damn spheres, the whole body shrinks at the same time, hence evil dwarf slaves…hey stop looking at me like that. I just watched them."

"Great. How many of these things will there be?"

"I don't know. Dwarves and undead, maybe not many, but the Tall Man could potentially have thousands of spheres."

"Great. So we have to basically deal with an army?"

"In a sense, but don't lose hope. The Tall Man isn't one to fight, and he moves real slow. The dwarfs aren't all that tough except in numbers. The spheres are the real danger, but it takes them a long time to slow down and turn, so if you bob and wave and run all over the place you'll probably throw them off. If I remember correctly, the Tall Man has a tuning fork like device that he uses to control the spheres, maybe we can get ahold of that. Oh yeah one more thing: he doesn't like…"

"Got it." Kane said, as he finished connecting wires, putting the keypad back on and then standing up and picking up his gun.

"Doesn't like what?" Belinda asked.

"The cold! He doesn't like the cold!"

"Will he have batteries?" Buzz Bomb asked.

Everyone glared at Buzz Bomb.

"Buzz, you better get your head in the game, because if you don't…" Flense said.

And then the door opened.

To a scene of absolute carnage. The room was filled with Billy corpses, the teen having cloned himself so many times that despite the bodies vanishing there were still hundreds of them. The floor literally ran with blood, not to mention all the mutilations on display. There were still some Billy clones left, but the spheres were quickly finishing them off. Worse, the Tall Man was slowly walking among the chaos, occasionally killing a clone himself. He was apparently looking for something or someone.

And he found himself staring at the small group in the hallway.

"…Oops." Shane said.

"Ahhhhhh. New guests." The Tall Man said. "Stay a while. Stay forever!"

And a large group of spheres peeled off the ceiling and zapped towards them.

However, this group was considerably better-armed and prepared then Billy Numerous, or even Reggie and Mike.

As the spheres met a hail of gunfire that blew them out of the air. However, there were still more spheres then bullets, and the remaining ones swooped in, blades flashing.

But their targets weren't standing still, as the Hive droves all dove and rolled out of the way.

As a pair of lashing whips came into play, the tendrils vibrating slightly to add extra impact, as Flay leapt out in a twirling dervish, knocking spheres from the air like it was easy. It wasn't, but Flay had said it himself: the best are remembered. Not every target you face is going to be easy, so Flay had trained himself to hit hard targets as well, a factor that now came into play, as he did a leaping cartwheel and slashed three more spheres from the sky.

Flense did likewise, as five tendrils bearing drills flew from his arms and coiled through the air, whacking and slashing the spheres, the drills giving them a taste of their own medicine, as another pair of tendrils curled around Flense's head to protect him from counter attacks.

Which were well needed: the group may have taken down the first assault, but there were a lot more spheres where they came from.

And they were coming, blades whirling and twisting. One fired a laser blast at the last unnamed drone, who dodged and blew it apart with a swift burst of fire, as Flay switch one whip off and pulled out another before the average person could blink, the new one igniting into flame as Flay lashed it through the air, leaving flame trails as he cooked spheres.

Buzz Bomb…was pretty much standing and watching in shock at the sight.

"…Ohhhhhh, pretty."

And then several spheres flew through the open doorway, heading for him.

"ACK!"

Buzz Bomb got his laser gauntlets up and fired, blowing the first and third sphere out of the air…and then the second slammed into his chest, drilling into his armor…before Buzz Bomb punched it off and stomped on it. More spheres whirred at him, and he screamed and took off, his wings fluttering as he flew backwards, shooting and blowing up more spheres as he fled. Within seconds he was around the corner and gone, about twenty-five spheres following him, leaving his group to the wolves. He flew past Mittens, who stared in confusion, until one of the spheres charged course and went after the cat, who quickly got his butt in gear and ran for it. The sphere chased Mittens for a bit and then decided Buzz Bomb was a better target and changed course to go after him again.

"We lost Buzz!" Flay yelled, and then took out three silver spheres and a golden one in a flurry of whip cracks.

"Eh, he'd probably get in the way anyway!" Flense yelled, as he leapt in front of Belinda and Patrick and provided them with a shield that took out several attacking spheres. Belinda and Patrick leaned around him and continued shooting spheres out of the sky.

The Tall Man cocked his head slightly. Well, this was going differently: normally anyone who crossed him would be on his morgue table by now. But no matter: all died eventually, and death was his realm. And speaking of death, he had to find that boy, the one who had tricked him. He was going to get at least one body out of all this nonsense, that was for certain.

Billy was still hiding behind the boxes, cowering, his mind now thoroughly crushed by fear. He probably would have stayed there until the Tall Man found him…

If a sphere, sliced by Flense's tendrils, hadn't spun out and crashed into the boxes, knocking them all down and exposing Billy as he screamed in terror. The last of his clones were gone: he had nothing left to hide behind, and the Tall Man had seen him.

"BOYYYYYY!"

The spheres were coming.

You can't blame Billy for panicking. And panic he did, as he screamed and ran, heading for the group, somehow dodging all the spheres, as Flay saw him coming and tried to lay down some 'covering fire'.

"Hey Billy nice to…" Flay began.

Billy ran right past him, much to Flay's surprise. He melt-lashed the final sphere and turned his head, as Billy ran through the door…

And stopped suddenly, turning back around so quickly he nearly fell over, and ran back a bit…

For the keypad. Flay's eyes widened.

"BILLY NO!"

Billy didn't hit a specific button: he just wiped the whole pad with the palm of his hand. That was enough.

Flense heard the whirring noise, and he himself turned his head as the door started coming down.

"SHIT!" He cursed, and dove for the door, firing out his tentacles, trying to get in and at the button before…

Too late.

The door slammed down, missing the metal coils by an inch, and sealing the group into the room.

For a moment, Billy watched the door, as a tiny part of him wondered if he had done the right thing.

Such a thought didn't hold for long with him. His sanity was too frayed, not to mention his body was an utter mess from all the feedback of the clone death. Jerking and twitching, Billy turned and ran off, mumbling gibberish, having no idea where to do, just knowing he had to get away from that room, even if it meant he left the ones who has risked their lives to save him to die.

Hey, it was THEIR choice.

* * *

And as you might have learned to expect, I will now make a transition by comparing what had just happened with something that is happening now: in this case, speaking of trapped, Gizmo was as well.

"Ah heh heh heh…"Gizmo said, sweatdropping, even as he pressed a button on a pad tucked under his upper arm. "You know, I don't smoke, drink, and do drugs, and my luck with women is about the same as yours, so I don't suppose you could give me a free pass?"

Uberjason swung his axe at Gizmo, who squawked and dodged away via his jetpack.

"Geez, whatever happened to sticking with your viewpoints?" Gizmo asked. Uberjason hurled the machete at him, barely missing as it bounced off the ceiling and fell to the floor, as Gizmo swooped away…

And flew right into the tossed chain-spear.

Luckily it just pierced the wing of his jetpack, but that was enough to send Gizmo spiraling down to the ground as Jason yanked, sending the midget teen down to the ground with a yell and a thump.

Cursing, Gizmo got back up, ejecting the wrecked jetpack, as Uberjason headed for him.

"Crap. Looks like I'm toast." Gizmo said.

And then three doors around the training room opened.

"Or maybe I'm lying." Gizmo said, as a controller snapped into his hands. "Thought I could use these: no better time then the present!"

Uberjason looked around as more figures began to enter the room. The thing was, they all looked the same. They were Sladebots, left over from when Slade had tried hiring the Hive for his missions, and had been sitting around since then until someone found a use for them, in this case Gizmo activating and summoning them with the special remote he had grabbed earlier. Accompanying them were nine of the Hive Cyborg copies, which had also been in storage.

"Domo Arigoto." Gizmo said, and switched the robots into attack mode.

And attack they did, swarming Jason _en masse_, while Gizmo ran for his gun, picking up his morph weapon along the way. The Sladebots leapt through the air, slashing out with their laser blasters, the beams cutting deep marks on Uberjason, but that only made him mad as he buried the axe in one of their chests and then chopped another one in half vertically with the machete. Then a 'Hiveborg' rammed into him from behind, sending him stumbling as another two blasted him with their sonic cannons. Uberjason whirled, punching the head off the first Hiveborg before he hurled his spear through another, which fell over with a crash, taking the spear with it.

"Ah crap! Do I have to do everything!" Gizmo cursed, as he looked up from his gun. Apparently the AI programs weren't enough to handle Uberjason, and he needed more time to make adjustments to his gun…

Uberjason tore through another Sladebot with machete and axe, and then, spying Gizmo, and instinctively knowing he was the cause of all the trouble, started for him, ignoring the Sladebots shooting lasers into his back and smashing a Hiveborg aside as it tried to stop him.

"Crap!" Gizmo cursed, as he finished with the adjustments: Uberjason was too close! Going to Plan B, Gizmo whipped out a computer part, attached it to the gun, and plugged in a quick command before he turned to face Uberjason, who had just ripped a Hiveborg's head off and thrown it through the chest of a Sladebot before he headed for Gizmo, closing in…

* * *

Sil's slashing talons once again hit only air, as Zippy dashed back, and then dashed forward, punching Sil across the face with her fist and then stopping and zapping back as she swung out her leg, kicking Sil on the other side of her head, the impacts so quick they felt like one. Sil staggered, but not for long, as she went after Zippy again, and missed again with a claw attack, as Zippy avoided it and ran past Sil, circling the room once more to charge up, electricity firing up on her fists, fists she lashed out and hammered Sil with, throwing a dozen electrically charged punches into every spot she thought looked vulnerable. Every spot turned out to be just as hard as the rest, but the voltage-changed blows weren't shrugged off like before, even if Zippy probably hurt her hands more then she did Sil. Zippy dashed back to get away from the latest Sil attack, in which a bony protrusion on her forearm extended out and turned into a deadly bone sword that Sil slashed at Zippy, missing her as mentioned. Zippy stopped to take a few deep breaths and think about her options.

Sil was on her like a shot, trying to rip her to pieces. Zippy's face hardened: screw it. She'd do it and do the bitch in!

* * *

"Setting the timer…" Nightwalker said.

* * *

All the Sladebots and Hiveborgs suddenly convened, leaping onto and dog-piling onto Uberjason as Gizmo switched to manual control. He needed more time…

Uberjason hurled all the robots off of him, one of them almost crashing into Gizmo, as he slammed the head of one into the ground and then hacked off the heads of two Hiveborgs in a row before another one charged in, hammering with fists of steel. When Uberjason tried to get him with the axe, another Hiveborg blew the weapon apart with a sonic cannon blast. Mad as hell, Uberjason reached out and grabbed the head of the Hiveborg attacking him, crushing it inward before he seized the body and hurled it into two attacking Sladebots, smashing them all to bits before he turned back, and Gizmo's eyes widened as he crossed the distance with speed Gizmo hadn't been expecting…

And then Uberjason had him, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him upward. Gizmo screamed, as he formed the metalliplastic into a spiked hammer and rained blows on Uberjason's head, but the undead master of Crystal Lake was having none of that, as Gizmo swung down as hard as he could…and shorted out the weapon, the hammer turning to liquid as the hilt sparked and fell from Gizmo's grip.

Uberjason cocked his head, as if asking if Gizmo was finally done, and drew back his machete…

The last two Hiveborgs came up behind him, clamping his arms and yanking them behind Uberjason, dropping Gizmo with a cry. He scrambled away, as the last few Sladebots came in, slashing and shooting the prone Uberjason…until Uberjason reversed the momentum and smashed the two Hiveborg's head's together, and then slashed off the upper half of the nearest Sladebot. Having had enough of these annoyances, Uberjason walked over to his spear, picked it up…and found it had somehow fused to the body of the Hiveborg it had deactivated.

The last Sladebots leapt in…

And Uberjason swung the body around like a morning star, smashing the last robots from the air. They fell to the ground, twitching and sparking, as Uberjason tossed the now useless spear away. He took a deep breath, and then turned to finally get Gizmo…

* * *

As Zippy dashed away from Sil's attack, not even noticing the next one that put Sil in roughly the center of the room. She was fully concentrated on her running, going around and around the room, over and over, building up her speed, charging up her body, uniting with what defined her: the power of the heavens…

* * *

As Gizmo brought up his gun, the gun he had programmed to charge up, a charge that could have been done much quicker if Gizmo had been manually doing it, but Uberjason had been biting at his ass and he'd had to program the computer to do it for him…but it had done so, filling the gun up with immense power from a recyling fusion reaction, a power that was now flowing into the 'barrel' as Gizmo aimed and locked on.

"Let's see how hardened your nanomachines are." Gizmo said.

And he fired off a huge ball of electrical power at Uberjason.

* * *

As Zippy did one final insanely quick turn even as her power kicked into maximum overdrive and her whole body became energy, as Zippy turned into a golden bolt of lightning.

* * *

The two targets were struck with such force it blasted everything close to them away, untold amounts of electricity coursing through their bodies, one natural and one man-made, and both deadly to the extreme, as the two creatures danced in the heart of the storm, the sheer power roasting and burning them from the inside out.

Gizmo stood firm as electrical bolts zapped all around him off Jason's body, while the ruined training room Sil and Zippy fought it was the only one who saw the amazing lightshow.

And then the reaction stopped, as a golden bolt flew from Sil's body and hit the ground nearby, reforming into Zippy.

The hybrid stopped moving, and then, smoking, fell slowly forward onto her face.

As Uberjason toppled over onto his back, hitting the ground with a dull thud, not moving.

Timber.

* * *

Gizmo lowered his gun, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out. He looked at the weapon: virtually ruined. That was the problem with such a powered up shot. He'd be lucky if he could shoot one or two more things with the gun, bullets included, before it completely fell apart. He sighed and tossed it down on the ground.

He didn't approach Uberjason's body without a weapon though: he retrieved his morph blade and, while trying to fix it, also borrowed one of the Sladebot's laser slicers. Carefully, he stepped up to the body, which utterly reeked, smoke still pouring from the mask and mostly closed holes.

But there was no movement. And as Gizmo found out by scanning, no more nanomachines. He'd cooked them all.

"Heh." Gizmo said, and tossed the broken metalliplastic weapon onto Uberjason's chest. "Parting gift mama's boy."

And Gizmo turned and left the room, annoyed that he'd have to go back to his room for more firepower, but better safe then sorry. At least he'd taken down one major threat.

* * *

Sil didn't smell much better, as Zippy approached her and nudged, then kicked her, ready to run at even the slightest sign of movement. But there was none. Sil was done. Extremely well done.

"…Itwasn'tmyproblem. Rememberthat." Zippy said.

And then, in the sudden quiet, Zippy was aware of noises behind one of the doors. She looked at it.

"Hello?"

The door exploded, making Zippy stumble back with a scream as smoking debris shot into the room. There was a sudden rumbling noise and then an "OH SHIT!" and then Nightwalker and Jinx ran into the room as the ceiling collapsed behind them, burying the hallway they had just come from in debris.

"…Ok. Guess I didn't set it absolutely perfectly." Nightwalker said.

"Llarenes! And…Idon'trememberwhoyouare!" Zippy said.

"Nightwalker."

"Ohyeah! Whatjusthappened?"

"Door needed to be unlocked."

"Really?" Zippy said, looking at the wreckage that kept the three of them from going back the way they came. "Wellnicejobmasterofunlocking!"

"Look Zippy, we're kind of in a 'take what you can' state. We're locked in the base, we can't find a way out, we're dropping like flies, and oh god she's getting back up." Nightwalker said.

"WHAT?" Zippy said, whirling around.

Tentacles lashed for the group, and they all split apart to dodge, Zippy running a few steps to the side before stopping in utter disbelief. Sil was back up, and while still smoking she appeared to have otherwise shrugged off the electrical attack. The millions of volts electrical attack.

"OhcomeonIKNOWthat'scheating!" Zippy yelled.

Sil leapt for Zippy, lashing out with her arm blade. Zippy dodged, as expected…right into Sil's tentacles, which coiled around Zippy's arms and legs and yanked the girl off the ground.

"AH!" Zippy screamed, as Sil adjusted her and then popped out her bone sword again for the finishing touch.

Jinx kicked Sil as hard as she could, a running jumping double-foot drop kick. It still felt like she was kicking a brick wall. However, it staggered Sil enough so that Zippy could get back on the ground, where she promptly ran for it, dragging Sil along with her before swinging her around and smashing her into a wall. The alien fell limply to the ground, letting Zippy go.

"All right!…Oh no." Jinx said, as Sil started to get back up again. Jinx glanced to the side, wondering where Nightwalker was, and was surprised to see him standing still, gauntlets out, aiming at Sil, but not firing, as Sil got back up and attacked Zippy again. Jinx ran over to the vigilante.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for the right moment."

"She could kill Zippy!"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take."

"But…"

"Go help if you're worried."

"How?"

"Hex her?"

"My hexes haven't worked so far, why would they start working now?"

"Law of averages?"

Jinx made a disgusted noise and turned back to where Sil was chasing Zippy again, as Zippy ran around another attack and dashed in, her leg blurring out as she did her best impression of Chun Li, hammering Sil with multiple kicks before smashing her across the room again with a final blow, causing Sil to dent the wall. Zippy ran back over to the group.

"Owwwwwwwww…couldyouguysgivemeabreakorsomething, mylegsarereallystartingtohurtandyikes!" Zippy squealed as Sil was once again attacking, crossing the distance like it was nothing, slashing at Jinx and then Zippy, who both dodged. Jinx fired off a hex, but it barely phased Sil, as she leapt for Jinx, her claws going for the throat.

And then Nightwalker blew up her knees with two highly precise orbs.

Sil fell to the ground, falling to her wrecked knees, as Nightwalker ejected one clip, snapped in another, and aimed as Sil turned towards him, snarling.

The explosive blast blew Sil across the room, where she managed to stop, trying to get up…

Two more orbs slammed into her legs, and then a rapid fire barrage tore through her hands, shoulders, and torso, her armor weakened by the explosion. Another explosive orb blew her backwards again, as Nightwalker ejected the detonation clip, snapped in the old one, and aimed again as Sil once more tried to stand.

Orbs tore through her, ripping through her shoulders, chest, and collar, Nightwalker walking forward while firing, and as the alien hybrid reeled on her knees, Nightwalker finished his barrage, walking right up in front of her.

The roundhouse kick loudly broke her neck, as Nightwalker kicked Sil as hard as he could, the alien's head nearly twisting around 180 degrees before her body collapsed, leaking blood.

"…Her armor was proving too much of a deterrent. I figured a focused attack at the proper time would be more efficient." Nightwalker said, turning around and walking back to the group.

"………….Showoff." Zippy said.

"Whatever. We've been looking for you Zippy. For Rocko."

"Rocko'salive?"

"Yeah, though she's pretty worn out. We should go check on her, and then maybe we can actually find a way out of this GUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nightwalker gasped/screamed as a tentacle suddenly wrapped around his neck and jerked him into the air, as Jinx and Zippy scrambled back.

"NO! NO!" Jinx screamed.

Sil was back up, holding Nightwalker in the air, the wounds evident on her body but rapidly vanishing. Poor Nightwalker: he hadn't known Sil could regenerate her bone and tissue structure, a fact that had allowed her to get the drop on him.

The good news for him was she didn't break his neck in turn.

The bad news was she threw him into a wall, hard, the black clad teen bouncing off and crashing down onto one of the desks that was still in one piece.

Sil's face was shifting, turning back, briefly becoming the face of the lovely blonde that had lured Progeny to his doom.

"…Just give up. You can't kill me. You are…genetic trash. I'm superior." Sil said.

"Funnyyoudidn'tseemsoeloquentinthemovie." Zippy said.

Nightwalker stirred, blinking behind his mask…and not believing what he was seeing.

"…Well fuck me." He muttered.

Sil glanced at him.

"I cannot." She replied. "It is not…proper…but what is it you terrans say…I will gladly…" Sil's face began shifting back. "Fuck…you…up."

The transformation was complete, as Sil loudly hissed at Zippy and Nightwalker.

"Herewegoagain." Zippy complained.

The tentacles went for their heads.

* * *

There was no movement in the wrecked gym area, no movement from the body…except on a level so small you could barely see it with the naked eye.

As some very confused nanomachines, not sure what their programming was, found themselves being drawn out of their metal base, where they had once manipulated a weapon on command, and into another, as if willed by some unknown force.

They found another colony of nanomachines within, all destroyed. As was their nature, they tried to repair them.

_CH CH CH AH AH AH…_

And a hand began to twitch…


	9. Wounds

Part 9: Wounds

_Strange…_

_I thought by now I'd be the only one left. That the other members of this organization I've infiltrated would all be dead by now. That they'd lack the strength of mind and character to survive._

_The will to live can only go so far. If wanting to survive were all it took, the casualties of war would be much lower. But there's more to those kinds of hells then not wanting to die. Just wanting that won't save you, not in the mass psychosis of war…or of this, in ways an even worse psychosis. War may have its own unreal feel, but this is fueled by creatures and situations that shouldn't exist at all._

_I thought they'd all be dead._

_And really, why should I care? These are my enemies. If they all died, it's one less problem for us. If I got out, I could just call up J'onn and tell him to blast the school from orbit. That would fix the problem._

_But I'm not like that._

_So strange. In our battles I would have never guessed any Hive members could show the strength of will that I've seen. They never seemed to show it before. Maybe it was a curse of situation, that only opposites can clash, that possessing such similar qualities nullifies so many needed facets of combat, of rivalry, of battles, to nearly render the whole point moot._

_So I won't flee. I'll fight._

_I always was stupid that way.

* * *

_

Sil's shriek seemed different now, almost as if there was a faint undertone of joy within it, as if she had fully judged her opponent's capabilities and decided they lacked what was needed, and that she would enjoy rending them to pieces. Perhaps an offshoot of her insatiable desire to mate, evolving into a sense of pleasure of eliminating those who would get in her way. Or maybe she was just a bitch.

Fortunately, Jinx could be a damn big bitch herself, as she ran in firing off hex blasts. They didn't do any actual damage, but they ripped up the floor and caused clouds of dust to obscure her, as Jinx leapt through the air, twirling her hips and torso to rev up as much momentum as she could, and then slashed her leg out in a backwards right arc, violently kicking Sil across the face. However, the neck breaking strategy didn't work a second time, as Jinx felt her whole leg go numb from the impact, while Sil seemed barely affected at all. The hybrid grinned fiercely, and then fired off a tentacle.

Which a fired orb intercepted, and as the tendril jerked back, Nightwalker ran in, zig-zagging and firing, shots bouncing and ricocheting off Sil's body. Damn. Not only had her armor healed back, it was tougher then before, as Nightwalker leapt into the air, flipped 180 degrees, and fired downward as he flipped over Sil, slamming several shots into her elongated head. It just staggered the alien…

As Zippy ran in, ramming an elbow into Sil's throat, then kneeing her in the chest, and as Sil flew into the air from the impact, leapt up and elbowed Sil back down into the ground, dashing off before the alien even impacted.

As Nightwalker aimed and fired off two explosion orbs. They detonated on Sil, and she vanished in the blast.

Zippy stopped, breathing heavily.

"Ican't…keepthisupmuchlonger…" She told Jinx.

Sil leapt from the fire, small flames already sputtering out on her smoking body, claws and arm sword slashing, as Zippy ran and Jinx cartwheeled away. Sil went for the slower target, bounding after Jinx, swinging with her deadly claws.

Jinx did a backwards Matrix dodge away from the swipe, and then twisted onto her side, spun her body around, and rammed her shin into the back of Sil's legs, and at the same time, as if by divine timing, Zippy and Nightwalker ran in, as Nightwalker leapt into the air and spun. They landed their roundhouse kicks, ground and air, at the same time, the cracking sound so loud it was as if someone had broken a large stick, as Sil went flying…

And flipped over, hit the ground, and sprang back before any of the three Hive members knew what was going on, her eyes flashing.

Her blade slashed out, going for Nightwalker and slicing across his chest, so quick that the swipe was done and glancing Jinx's shoulder before Nightwalker was even aware he was cut.

Sil missed Zippy though, as the speedster darted away and then back, hammering a powerful roundhouse thrust kick that once again sent Sil flying, this time with more success.

"Arrgggghhhhhh!" Nightwalker said, clutching his wound. His armor was of the highest degree available, and Sil had cut through it like it was made of tissue paper. He felt his blood running down his chest, onto his hand…

His fist clenched.

"JUST DIE YOU BITCH!" Nightwalker bellowed, as he raised up his gauntlets and began firing rapidly. Sil leapt away from the blast of the first shot, hit the wall, and climbed up rapidly as Nightwalker blew a small hole in the wall and then on the ceiling, missing every time.

Jinx watched in amazement as Nightwalker snapped, and realized he wasn't using his lock on systems: he was just shooting at soon as he thought he had a shot. Which was way too slow for catch Sil, but Nightwalker was beyond that now, as he unloaded and reloaded so fast it looked like it never happened, as he began firing again, more explosive orbs detonating around the room as Sil dodged, seemingly without effort. With seconds Nightwalker was out of ammo again.

"I WILL kill you!" Nightwalker snarled, as he reloaded again. This time it was his acid orbs, which splattered all over the wall and floor, eating huge holes as Sil dodged them as well…

And then Jinx slapped Nightwalker across the face. Well, the helmet.

"Stop firing! You're using up all your ammo!"

"She has to DIE!"

And then Nightwalker fell forward onto his face as Zippy hit him on the back of the head.

"Sorrylookslikeyouneededthat." Zippy said. "LlarenesIamrunningoutofgas. Eitherweneedanewplanor…"

Bone daggers flew at the group, and Zippy ran for it, even as Jinx pulled Nightwalker out of the way…

As Sil flew at them, claws slashing. The first slash caught Jinx's hair, slicing her head bands, and the second caught Nightwalker as he shoved Jinx out of the way and took the slash for her. The claws pierced through his torso, digging into his gut, and Sil shrieked as she prepared for the evisceration…

Which allowed Nightwalker to shove his right orb launcher in her mouth.

"EAT ME!"

The blasts exploded out of Sil's head, the inner tissue apparently softer then the outer, and Sil reeled back, wailing, black blood pouring from her mouth and skull…as Zippy ran past her, stopped, and then ran forward, grabbing Sil along the way and running straight across the room where she slammed Sil chest and face first into the wall. Blood sprayed.

"Are you all right?" Jinx asked, as Nightwalker fell to one knee, gripping his stomach.

"Armor…took most of it…she just managed…a few flesh wounds…" Nightwalker growled. He also noted to himself that his orb launchers weren't meant for such close range shots and he was lucky it hadn't exploded on his arm, as Zippy ran back to them.

"Youok?"

"Yeah I'll just…FUCK!" Nightwalker cursed, as Sil bounded across the room, refusing to stay down despite everything that was happening. Zippy jerked her head around, and her eyes narrowed.

"Knockherintotheair!"

"Wh…" Jinx said, but Zippy was already gone. "What did she…"

"You heard her!" Nightwalker said, as he dodged away from Sil, tentacles lashing where he had just been. He fired at her from the left orb launcher, which Sil dodged: the orb splattered against the wall and the acid within began to eat another hole in it, as Sil snapped out her tentacles and grabbed Nightwalker, hoisting him above her as she prepared to draw and quarter him…

Nightwalker's new blade snapped out and slashed, severing one tentacle and badly slicing another. Her grip severely compromised, not to mention the pain, Sil turned more of her attention to Nightwalker, and hence left herself open as Jinx ran in, wielding a piece of wood she'd gotten from somewhere, as she slammed it across her chest and head, and as Sil turned her attention back to Jinx Nightwalker sliced through the last tentacles, which released him…as Jinx wound up and did a golf club like swing across Sil's face, even as Nightwalker dropped down, grabbed Sil by the shoulders, jammed his foot into the small of her back, and fell backwards, the impact and throw combining to toss Sil skyward.

As Zippy ran past them, her form a blur, and began to spin. Jinx suddenly found the hair on her arms and head standing straight up: the air was utterly charged with static electricity.

And then Nightwalker grabbed her and pulled her away.

"We need to get clear! And hang on to something!" Nightwalker said, as Zippy spun even faster, and a whirlwind of air began to form, a whirlwind crackling with electrical power that had seized Sil and was now battering away at her helpless form: Nightwalker's cutting of her tentacles kept her from shooting out and getting hold of solid ground, as Nightwalker and Jinx ran across the room and seized hold of a wall rack that served some unknown purpose, the air trying to suck them in as Sil shrieked and thrashed.

And then the tornado slammed her into the ceiling, and again, and again, and then into the walls, and then into the ceiling again, even as the electricity grew fiercer and fiercer…

And then abruptly shorted out, as Sil plummeted to the ground, landing with a sickening crack.

Zippy was suddenly next to the pair, collapsing to her knees, utterly exhausted.

"That was…my last big move…I am…down to fumes." Zippy said, and Nightwalker believed her: Zippy was so drained she was actually talking normally.

"…Oh no." Jinx said, and Nightwalker didn't even have to look to know what was happening: Sil was getting up. She just would not stay down.

But Nightwalker had fully expected that, as he ejected his right gauntlet clip and slammed in his last acid rounds. Sil might have started moving again, but even she wouldn't be back up and springing around in two seconds.

Which left her a prime target as Nightwalker's helmet locked onto her rising form.

"A little gift from Giger." Nightwalker said, and fired.

The acid orbs all hit her at the same time, utterly covering her, and she shrieked as the immensely powerful castic began to eat into her form, melting through her armor, burning through her muscles and organs, as she collapsed in agony, starting to melt.

Nightwalker lowered his arm, ejecting the clip, and then slapped another one in.

"Female of the species." Nightwalker said, and snorted derisively. Jinx whacked him on the shoulder. "Ow! What?"

"You'd never have been able to do that without us."

"Well that goes without saying."

"I need some food…and maybe…a nap…" Zippy gasped.

"Sure thing Sal. We'll…" Jinx said, and then the color drained out of her face. Nightwalker blinked, and then it hit him.

"Impossible…" He said, turning and looking.

The acid pool had eaten through the floor, but Sil was no longer crouched there. She'd pulled herself free, and now lay on more solid ground, the acid having severely burned her…but it had stopped.

And it had started growing back, as Nightwalker goggled at the sight. This was insane. Even if you could heal, one couldn't just pull new forms of mass out of nowhere. You needed a source, you needed…logic.

Which horror films rarely if ever functioned under. And they were playing by its rules.

"…Oh shit." Nightwalker said.

"What do we do?" Jinx said. Nightwalker glanced at Zippy, and then at Sil, and then around the room.

"…Sal! We can't keep fighting, not like this! Jinx and I will hold her off: you open one of the doors and get us out of here! You got enough left to do that?"

"…Yeah. Hellyeah." Zippy said, as she shoved herself to her feet.

"Then do it! Jinx, GO! Don't give her time to fully grow back!" Nightwalker said, as he charged, Jinx at his heels, as Zippy's eyes darted around the room.

And realized there were two doors.

And she had no idea which one to pick.

* * *

Their potential escape route sealed by the terrified Billy Numerous, the remaining Hive drones, along with Flay and Flense, also has a few different doors to choose from if they wanted to make an escape. However, they had bigger problems.

"Argggggggggghhhhhhhh!" Patrick said, as he withdrew a handgun and blew the silver sphere that had dug into his leg right off, leaving the blades stuck in his shin armor as he got his main gun back up and tried to defend himself from the swooping death machines.

In a series of rapid whip cracks, Flay dropped five more spheres, but seven took their place. The Hive drones Belinda and Kane blasted three of them, but the four closed in…until Flay slashed his fire whip forward and spun it in a circle, forming a wheel of fire the spheres flew into. Confused and distorted by the flames, they found nothing on the other side, as Flay had rolled forward and was bringing his fire whip back around, knocking all four from the air in one masterful slash.

The Tall Man would be impressed if he was inclined that way. He usually only needed a handful of Sentinels to deal with any problems his servants couldn't seem to handle: this group was holding off the whole legion of them. But not for long.

"Son of a…!" Flense snapped as a whirring buzzsaw sphere clipped his shoulder, even as another swooped in for his head. Twin tendrils intercepted it, the drills sawing through the sphere and sending it crashing to the ground. Leaping away, as his computer rapidly tracked and locked onto a series of targets, Flense ran for the wall, leapt off it, and flew into the air, where he snapped his arms out and a dozen metal tentacles flew out, all of them smashing through spheres.

While another one rammed into his chest, knocking Flense back to the ground with a 'whoof', as the drill emerged and began sawing into Flense's chest piece.

"Little fucker!" Flense said, grabbing the sphere. "I CAN'T FIX THAT!" Flense yelled as he slammed the sphere into the ground, smashing it. Flipping to his feet, Flense lashed out three tendrils, knocking more spheres down and out. But even more came: there was still a great number sitting on the ceiling.

"We can't fight here! We need to…" Belinda yelled out, as she blew away two more spheres…and suddenly found the Tall Man standing in front of her.

"Hello ugly." Belinda said, and opened fire.

Only a few bullets hit, which the Tall Man didn't even seem to notice, as he lifted his hand. Belinda suddenly found a crushing pressure wrapped around her throat, cutting off her air, lifting her right off the ground as her gun clattered to her feet.

"You fight so hard against the inevitable." The Tall Man said. "Now or later, you belong to ME."

Flense's tendrils lashed around the Tall Man's forearm.

"DROP HER YOU DAMN EVIL BUTLER!" Flense yelled, and yanked, his blades digging in as he ripped the Tall Man's lower arm clean off. Belinda dropped to the ground, gasping, even as her eyes fixed on what was coming from the wound. It wasn't blood: it was some kind of yellow goo, splattering on the floor. Despite having lost an arm, the Tall Man didn't seem very much inconvenienced, as he turned towards Flense.

"It appears more of your malapert blood needs draining." The Tall Man said, and at his words more spheres sprang from the ceiling and made their way for Flense, at least fifty of them.

"SHIT!" Flense snarled, leaping backwards and lashing with his metal tentacles, the blades sawing and carving through the mass, but even Flense couldn't drop all of them, as Belinda snatched up her gun and dove away from three spheres coming after her.

"Patrick, Shane, cover the kid! Kane, get us out of here! Robert, you cover him! Flay!"

"On it!" Flay said, reading Belinda's mind as he swapped out his fire whip for his other electric/sonic one, and then reared back and slammed them together, setting off a dull shockwave that hurt everyone's ears and caused all the spheres near Flay to veer widely out of control and crash and burn.

But he wasn't close enough to Flense, as the spheres were on him, stabbing and sawing, Flense screaming as he tried to keep them off, one of them slicing open his chin with a long arm saw blade while three more rammed into his chest and stomach, and as Flense tore at them another swooped in and pierced its blades into the upper right side of his skull. The wound was very shallow though, as Flense reached out, snarling, and clawed at the sphere, yanking it out just before the drill hit skin and throwing it away, as the Hive drones tried to lessen the number of spheres attacking Flense, but they were too late, as more pierced into his chest and shoulders…

And then a golden sphere flew in front of him and cut loose with a positron blast, the impact blowing off against Flense's chest apparatus, and as Flense stumbled back from the impact, his outfit having kept him from dying but still devastated all the less, two more spheres flew in, one slamming into his knee while another planted itself right between his eyes.

And then Flense hit the fence barrier of the elevator hole and toppled over it, falling over and into the darkness, screaming all the way down until his cries faded completely.

"…Aw crap." Flay said, and then to add insult to injury, he noticed the impact blow had burned out one of his electric/sonic whips, and with a muffled curse he dropped it as he brought the other one up to protect himself from new attacks.

"Fuck! We can't stay here! KID, WE ARE LEAVING!" Belinda yelled.

"If you say so!" Flay snapped, cracking two more spheres from the air, as he ran for where Belinda was heading, even as she ran herself, Shane providing covering fire.

And then his gun ran dry. Shane immediately dropped it and yanked out twin handguns, blowing away any spheres that came close.

Movement to his left. Shane glanced, and saw the expressionless face of the Tall Man, and jerked a gun to aim at him…

Which left him wide open, as a golden sphere flew in, buzzsaws whirring, and sliced Shane's throat from ear to ear. Shane let out a confused gurgle, and then collapsed, dead.

"Ah fuck we lost Shane!" Patrick yelled.

"You're a master of understatement there Pat! Let's move before AIYYYYYEEEEE!" Belinda screamed as SOMETHING leapt up, gnashing at her face, and she realized it was the Tall Man's severed arm, changed into some kind of toothy monster that apparently like the spheres wanted a first hand look at her brain, as she dropped her gun and grabbed at the creature, trying to keep it away.

"Chief!" Patrick said, trying to get a bead on the entity.

"Forget it! Just GO!" Belinda said, and Patrick hesitated for a second, and then ran for it, as the thing lunged forward, actually gnawing on the top of Belinda's nose…

And then a whip curled around its 'wrist'.

"Ash did it first…" Flay snarled as he yanked backwards, pulling the hand-creature away even as he snapped back the whip in his other hand. "AND HE DID IT BETTER!" Flay snarled, bringing his charged electric/sonic whip down on the hand, blowing it to bits in a spray of yellow fluid. And then, much to Belinda's amazement, he actually took the time (in his case 1 ½ seconds) to yank out another whip, grab her gun with it, and somehow yank it up into her hands.

"…Thanks." She said.

"Anti-grav whip. Brought it along just in case. Never know when…" Flay began, and then Belinda raised her gun and blew away a sphere that was shooting up behind Flay. "Right, bad time to talk."

"GOT IT!" Kane yelled, as the door he was working on slid open.

"Ok let's go let's go!" Belinda yelled, as she and Flay ran for the door, spheres on her heels…until Belinda threw her gun into the air, turned as she yanked out twin grenades, tossed them, turned around, and continued running as her gun fell back into her hands and the grenades blew up in mid-air, scattering the spheres, as Patrick ran through the open door, then Flay, then Belinda, then Kane the cracker, and finally Robert, who had been covering Kane, as he slapped the door closing button without turning around to do so.

As a sphere flew from the smoke and impaled itself right in the back of his neck. Robert jerked, and tried to pry it off, but it was too late, as the sphere drilled into his spine, Robert pitching forward onto the ground…

And then a whip smashed the sphere off and into a wall, where a burst of gunfire blew it away.

Kane crouched down next to Robert, feeling for a pulse. He shook his head after a few seconds, and Flay's hands tightened on the whip he was coiling back around himself. So much death…

"We can mourn him later. We have to get out of here, find reinforcements, anything but hang around. Move." Belinda said, and the group silently headed off.

Back in the room, the Tall Man looked at the closed door, even as he held out his severed arm and, with some unpleasant gurgling noises, a new hand emerged from the arm of his suit: Flense had somehow ripped off his arm without damaging the actual clothing. The Tall Man slowly closed and opened the fingers once, as his spheres whirred around him.

"They only believe they have escaped." The Tall Man said.

And then, as if the Tall Man had willed it, the door opened up again.

The Tall Man hadn't.

And he didn't question it, as he slowly started walking.

* * *

While Flay and his fellows fled the Tall Man, and Flense had plunged to an unknown fate, the remaining member of the former trio rounded a corner, even as he flipped over and aimed.

The spheres flew around the corner, and Buzz Bomb blew another one out of the sky, but there were at least nine left, and they kept after him, dodging Buzz Bomb's two follow up shots, as he whirled 180 degrees to look where he was going again…

And found he was heading straight for an open door.

"AHHHHHH!"

Buzz Bomb flew in, and a loud sound of crashing followed, as all the spheres flew in after him…

As Buzz Bomb flipped down from above the door, where he had hid, knowing the room was coming up, and having prepared by tossing several mini grenades in, which had made the crashes as they slammed into and knocked into stuff, as Buzz Bomb flew back out the door and took off down to the left, as he snapped out a detonator and pressed it.

A massive explosion blasted from the door, knocking Buzz Bomb to the ground. He shoved himself and whirled around, lasers at the ready in case anything emerged from the room.

But nothing emerged except tongues of fire. Buzz Bomb had successfully blown up his pursuers.

"AH HAH!" Buzz Bomb laughed. "Thought you were the big time, eh? That you had the old Buzz! But you gotta get up pretty early in the morning to put one over 'Thee Man, Bee Man', and brother, you didn't get up early…"

And as Buzz Bomb gloated while backing up, an arm fell on his shoulder.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Buzz Bomb screamed like a little girl as he immediately fell down and crouched into a fetal ball. "NOTINTHEFACE! NOTINTHEFACE!"

"Get up you idiot." Mammoth growled.

"Wait…I know that voice!" Buzz Bomb said as he removed his arms from around his head. "MAMMOTH! You're a sight for sore eyes!" Buzz Bomb said, as he leapt up and actually hugged the giant.

Mammoth slammed Buzz Bomb lightly into a wall for that.

"Ohhhhhhh…so nice to see my joy reciprocated." Buzz Bomb said.

"Move or it lose it moron. I don't have the time to wait around for you." Mammoth said, stomping off, as Buzz Bomb picked himself up and flew after him.

"Mammoth my good friend! Do you happen to have some batteries?"

"Shaddup!"

"Yessir!"

"I found the source of the noise." Mammoth said as he entered the latest training room, which was one of the far central ones.

"Company! So glad I don't have to escape with this Neanderthal!" Buzz Bomb said, as he looked at Shimmer and Rhinoceros Beetle.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Mammoth yelled.

"I said I'm glad I don't have a cape or else I'd fall." Buzz Bomb quipped. Mammoth glared at the insect-suited teen for a bit, and then turned back to his sister and 'friend'.

"Enough farting around. We need to get out of here."

"Baran, we SHOULD have been out of here a long time ago! We're going in circles!" Shimmer complained.

"No we're not! We're just in a crisis, the territory seems unfamiliar because of it…"

"Do you have batteries?" Buzz Bomb asked Rhinoceros Beetle. Wilby shook his head.

"Selinda, calm down. I WILL get us out of here." Mammoth growled in his latest response to his sister's argument.

"Maybe you can't! Maybe you should let someone else try!"

Mammoth snorted.

"Someone else? Like who? Wilby? That kook?"

"Better then…" Shimmer replied, and then her eyes spied something. A familiar kitten, which had emerged from a nearby door, looking a bit stunned and weary.

"Mittens!" Shimmer squealed with joy, and ran for the kitten. "I knew you'd come back! Come here puss! Come…"

Mittens suddenly whirled around, all his fur standing on end as he hissed at something behind him.

The machete swung down, but the agility named for felines saved Mittens again as he leapt away, and even as Shimmer stopped in horror, her feet slipping out from under here in the process, Mittens beat feet, running away and down the hallway Mammoth and Buzz Bomb had just emerged from.

As the massive figure emerged from the doorway, towering over the girl.

Uberjason looked like hell, his body a patchwork of repairs, as his reactivated nanomachines tried to lessen their load during their own repairs by incorporating the materials around Uberjason to fix his form. But he was still fixed up and rarin' to go again, his fiery red eyes blazing at Shimmer, who screamed.

"Holy shit!" Rhinoceros Beetle yelled. "Jason!"

Uberjason looked down at Shimmer, and then started raising his machete again…

And then Mammoth's fist slammed into him, throwing him back down the hallway he had emerged from.

"Come on!" Mammoth said, as he scooped his sister up and ran away. "Wilby, get us out of here!"

"What?"

"You always knew all the door codes, get us out of here!" Mammoth yelled.

"What, oh…right." Wilby said, and transformed back into his normal small form, as he ran over to the opposite door and began punching in the codes.

Uberjason had slid past a hallway that crossed across his, forming a plus sign, and he lay there for a bit before he got up, cracking his neck, and starting back down the hallway…

And stopped.

Someone else was there. A new figure.

He was roughly Uberjason's height and build, but while Uberjason now wore armor of metal and plastic molded into his nigh-indestructible flesh, this figure was dressed simply in a blue boiler suit, and wore a white mark with black hair, emotionless eyes peering from the mask. In one hand he clutched a long knife.

The two stared at each other, Uberjason's eyes blazing, the other's never showing a whit of emotion.

And then loud banging noises began coming from down the hallway, as Mammoth apparently got tired of waiting and tried to open the door the only way he knew.

The figure's eyes glanced behind him a bit, noting the noise. Uberjason's expression did not change, but something in his poise spoke all the same: These are my victims. Go find your own.

The pairs of eyes remained locked, neither side giving an inch.

And then Uberjason moved, stepping around the figure and walking down the hallway.

And the figure allowed it, as it turned slightly and watched Uberjason stalk after his prey, and then turned his head and started walking down the hallway again.

Two masters allowing each other the chance to hunt prey. Once all the prey was gone, perhaps they would hunt each other.

"Baran, knock it off! You'll activate the door magnets and then I won't be able to open the door at all!" Wilby yelled, as he put in one more code…

And the door opened, much to Mammoth's surprise.

"…Well. Ok then…"

"AHHHHH!" Buzz Bomb screamed, and Mammoth jerked his head around as Uberjason emerged from the hallway again.

"Fuck!" Mammoth cursed, and considered just running for it. Then a voice in his head piped up, noting that if he did that, Uberjasan might just teleport in front of them like famous horror slashers always did and take them by surprise. It might be better if he took the bastard down.

Yeah, he liked that option better anyway, as he stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.

"Ohgodit'sJasonwe'reallgonnadiehe'llkillusallkillusall…!" Buzz Bomb shrieked as he ran in circles.

"Wilby, you protect my sister! One single hair gets harmed, I'll rip you apart myself!" Mammoth growled. "Buzz Bomb!"

"We'redoomeddoomeddooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…"

Mammoth's blow almost seemed to compact Buzz Bomb like an accordion.

"STOP THAT! ATTACK!"

"Aye aye sir!" Buzz Bomb said, saluting. "Ya milk drinkin' spandex wearin' knuckle draggin' insult to pachyderms."

"WHAT?"

"I said uh…INCOMING!" Buzz Bomb said, as he took to the air, as Jason strode in and swung his machete at Mammoth.

Mammoth dodged away and uppercuted Uberjason so hard he was flung into the air, where Buzz Bomb flew in and kicked him…and then yelled and began air dancing while holding his foot as Uberjason crashed into the ground.

"Ugh. Brother, you always were…" Shimmer said, before Wilby stumbled a bit, leaning against the wall. "Wilby? Are you ok?"

"…Inhaler…asthma…" Wilby gasped, and Shimmer recalled that Wilby was indeed prone to asthma under stress. And he was clearly terrified of who had shown up, as he fumbled in the pockets of his Hive robe. Shimmer helped, though Wilby found it first, jamming it in his mouth and inhaling. He took several more deep breaths, then relaxed a bit, even as Uberjason, back up, stabbed at Mammoth, who again showed surprising grace and dodged aside, lacing his hands together and, with blows that rang through the room, slammed them across Uberjason's face, then down on his head, and then around and up against his head and upper body, sending him flying again.

"Hah! You're all rep and no step, dead man! Your normal moves won't work on me! I snack on danger and dine on death!" Mammoth snarled.

"Yeah, and I…uh…ingest…calamity…or…damn it why do I always have to go after the good quips?" Buzz Bomb complained, and opened fire on Uberjason from above, barraging him with lasers. Uberjason got up, even though he was clearly affected by the barrage.

"Ha ha ha! You can't get me up here!" Buzz Bomb taunted, as he flew around and continued his assault, as Mammoth charged in again.

Uberjason threw his machete at him, forcing Mammoth to dodge aside, as the machete flew on and through the open door that had been Mammoth's planned escape route, and even as he did Uberjason reached for his belt and removed a handle, a familiar looking handle.

Gizmo really shouldn't have left his broken weapon sitting on Uberjason's chest.

As Uberjason stabbed the metalliplastic weapon up and the liquid metal blade shot out, extending twenty feet through the air in a giant thin knife that stabbed into Buzz Bomb's abdomen and stopped him dead, and as Buzz Bomb yelled Uberjason yanked his arm sideways and swung Buzz Bomb across the room and into the opposing wall with a thud, the armored teen tumbling to the ground as the weapon retracted.

As Mammoth seized the monster, lifting his form up like he weighed nothing and then slamming Uberjason down on his knee, back first. Mammoth's face grimaced at the blow, but he still had plenty of strength to lift Uberjason up and slam him head first into the ground. Flexing his legs, Mammoth leapt up into the air and came crashing down feet first on the monster…

Who snapped up his arm, as the blade extended again and stabbed up Mammoth's side, impaling under his armpit and going straight through his arm, nicking the bone as it burst out of his shoulder. Mammoth bellowed in pain, staggering off as Uberjason retracted the blade.

"BARAN!" Shimmer screamed, and tried to run for her brother, and then found massive hands encircling her: Wilby had transformed back into his giant form when she wasn't looking.

"No Selinda! I said I'd protect you!"

"But my brother!"

"He's tough! You can't just charge in! Come on, we'll go, but be careful!" Rhinoceros Beetle said, as the two of them crept around the room. Rhinoceros Beetle was only able to rein Shimmer in because Mammoth didn't seem badly hurt: yeah, blood was running down his arm, but he looked far more mad then hurt, as he backhanded Uberjason, knocking him off his feet again. Uberjason got up, as the morph weapon surged out and formed into a giant axe, an axe Uberjason swung in a giant overhead swing.

Mammoth clapped his hands on the weapon, stopping it, and then kneeing Uberjason in the chest, doubling him over from the impact, and then slammed his hands down on his back, hammering the slasher into the ground.  
"Ah nuts!" Buzz Bomb cursed as he finished trying to repair his impaled abdomen. It was no good though: his jets were toast. That left him his wings to fly, which made him considerably slower. But his abdomen had more then jets: it also had all his bomb making materials, as he yanked several pieces out.

"EAT-DIRT-YOU-FUCKING-LUNATIC-AND-STAY-DOWN!" Mammoth snarled, repeatedly stomping on Uberjason's head…and forgetting the morph weapon again, as Uberjason brought it up, the end forming into a hook that caught on Mammoth's leg and ripped a wide gash across the upper thigh. Mammoth bellowed, staggering back as fresh blood flowed. So far Uberjason hadn't managed to slice an important muscle or cut an artery, but it still hurt like a mofo.

"Maybe…you're not…LISTENING!" Mammoth growled as Uberjason got up again. "I SAID, STAY DOWN!"

Mammoth didn't kick very often, but in his case, he would have done a soccer player proud, as Uberjason took his billionth trip through the air and through the door that Wilby had managed to open.

"Yeah, that's right." Mammoth said.

"Baran!" Shimmer said as she ran up to her brother.

"I'm fine Selinda. They look worse then they feel." Mammoth semi-lied. "But would you mind doing that blood clotting trick again?"

"…Sure big brother. Sure." Shimmer said, as she concentrated. Having already done it once, the second time was a bit easier, as she managed to fix Mammoth's wounds a little.

"All right. Wilby, you and Shimmer stay here. I'm going after that bastard."

"What? Mammoth, no! You could be killed!" Wilby protested.

"And if we just leave, that fucking dead man will just come out of nowhere and try and get us later. I'm getting rid of him NOW, even if I have to personally smash open the gates of hell and shove him through them." Mammoth snapped. "Buzz Bomb, follow me! You know the drill!"

"Yeah yeah yeah…" Buzz Bomb said, as he slowly hovered up and flew after Mammoth, not taking his eyes off his work.

* * *

Nightwalker danced in as he fired one punch, then another, into Sil's face, and then dodged outward as Sil attempted to claw him. The hybrid's acid bath had severely weakened her and her armor, but Nightwalker could tell it was growing firmer by the second, and when it finished hitting Sil would hurt him more then it would her. So he and Jinx had to do as much damage as possible in that timeframe and hope Zippy had cracked the door she had chosen before then.

Jinx leapt in, landed, did a three spinning kick combo, and then spun away. Too many blows, as Sil reached out and 'slapped' Jinx as she tried to escape, catching her, on all places, across her rear. Jinx yelled as Sil managed to get a small bit of flesh in her swipe, the wound burning, not to mention the humiliation, as she whirled and fired several hex blasts at the monster. Nightwalker added in two orb shots that blew apart Sil's right knee and blew a hole in her chest, and the monster fell, shrieking.

"Uh…maybeitwasSebastion…?" Zippy said to herself as she tried to remember the door code. It came back as a negative: Zippy groaned to herself. She was too used to security punching in the codes for her, she could never keep all of them straight on her own.

"Uh, maybeitwasBennett…?"

ERROR WRONG CODE.

"Ohscrewthis, I'lljustdoitlikeFranksaid." Zippy said, and indeed did it her way as she began rapidly punching in code after code, entering nearly 300 different combinations a second as she worked her way up.

It took her nine seconds before it worked.

"Yes!" Zippy said, as the door slid open. "Guys I…no." Zippy whispered.

She'd picked the wrong door. It didn't open to escape. Instead it opened to the abandoned training room, even as Nightwalker leapt in with a kick…

And a tentacle fired from Sil's body and grabbed him, hurling him into Jinx, even as Zippy turned around.

"GuysI…"

Sil leapt at Zippy, screaming, and as Zippy screamed in turn the hybrid slammed into her, sending her tumbling into the room in a snarling mass. Sil apparently held killing Zippy in higher regard then the other two, and once she'd knocked them down, she'd taken the chance to go for a then standing still Zippy, trying to claw her face off. She got a knee to the face instead, knocking her off Zippy, but not for long, as she did a quick backflip and slashed down with her arm-blade. Zippy in turn backflipped out of the way, and the bone sword, still weakened from the acid bath Sil had taken, hit the ground and snapped off with a wail of pain from the hybrid, which allowed Zippy to wail on HER, as she ran in and blitzed Sil with another barrage of furious kicks before spinning around and doing an upwards reverse heel thrust kick that slammed under Sil's chin and sent her flying another few feet. She landed hard, bits and pieces of armor breaking off of her, but she was back up and going for Zippy before the young girl could make any distance, her talons stopped inches from Zippy's throat.

In the other room, Nightwalker and Jinx had gotten back up and run for the doorway, where Nightwalker had strangely stopped Jinx, even as Zippy did her kick combo, for all the good it did her.

"What are you doing?" Jinx yelled.

"This room's too small with all those damn things stacked at the end: we're more likely to get in each other's way."

"But Zippy needs help!"

"I'm working on that." Nightwalker said, as he raised his left arm and aimed into the room.

"What are you doing?"

"Got one acid orb left. I would have shot it down Sil's throat the first chance I had but the angle was all wrong. This time I won't miss that chance. And with what I did earlier, this WILL melt her head, and nothing I know can kept going when its head is gone."

"But Zippy…"

Zippy used her immensely powerful legs to flip Sil over her and into the nearest giant fuel canister, and then ran up next to her, leapt off, and kicked Sil across the head, Matrix style.

"Can handle herself."

Sil's tentacles lashed out, grabbing hold of Zippy. A muffled, surprised curse came from Nightwalker, and he lowered his left arm as he raised his right, firing several shots across that room that ripped through the tentacles and allowed Zippy to pull herself free, after which she proceeded to punch Sil another few dozen times.

"Shit. I keep forgetting Zippy's not a Speed Force user. She can't turn her speed on and off effortlessly like Hermes can, she needs to build up to it. The cramped conditions are forcing her to try and speed burst anyway, and it's already worn her out, she should have been able to dodge that tentacle grab." Nightwalker said, raising his left arm again.

"Ok…so what do we do?"

"Stay out of the way and wait for my computer to properly lock…" Nightwalker said.

And then Sil sprang away from a Zippy attack, clamped onto the wall, sprang for the ceiling, crawled across, and came back down to the floor, less then ten feet away from the pair. And she didn't look happy to see them either.

"Ack!" Jinx said.

"Might want to hex her, might want to hex her…!" Nightwalker growled under his breath, as Sil leapt for them, claws flashing…

Zippy grabbed her in mid air and leaned backwards, slamming Sil into the ground in a wrestling maneuver known as the German suplex, but as Sil bounced from the impact Zippy raced behind her and did it again, and again, and again, smashing a series of dents in the floor across the whole room before Zippy threw Sil into another fuel tank, denting the side and sending a spray of black ichor splashing across it.

"Perfect." Nightwalker said, as all the variables fell into place and Zippy dashed away for another blow. "Said goodnight, Gracie."  
Nightwalker fired.

And a tentacle shot from Sil's chest and crossed the entire room, grabbing Nightwalker's arm in mid trigger pull, much to his immense surprise.

"WHAT THE…!"

The orb fired, but the course had been altered, and instead of her head, the marble slammed into the fuel tank side, some acid drops spraying on Sil, but not enough, even as Nightwalker cursed and slashed his way through the tentacle that was holding him, as Zippy dashed in for another attack, still going despite her exhaustion…

And then a dull groan filled the air, as Nightwalker looked up from the task he had been doing to where his orb had landed.

"Oh no."

The tank burst, reddish-black fuel spraying out in an immense torrent. Sil was drenched immediately, and Zippy, running in to attack, barely had time to put on the brakes before she herself was covered in fuel, as the pressure caused the hole to open up even wider and pump out even more fuel that spilled all over the floor.

Zippy collapsed, clutching her eyes, as Sil tried to move and found her feet flying out from under her, as she landed on her back with a crash. Nightwalker cursed again, even as he hunted for another ammo clip, finding it, snapping it in, and aiming at Zippy. He fired, striking Zippy in the chest, and a thick cloud of white powder poofed over here, power that swiftly swelled up as it absorbed the fuel. Zippy managed to clear her eyes, then shook her head, sending the foamy substance spraying around like a dog.

"That's convenient." Jinx commented.

"You never know when clogging some bastard's toxic waste shooting gun will be useful." Nightwalker replied. "ZIPPY! WATCH…"

Zippy tried to stand up and then slipped, falling on her side, even as Sil tried to leapt off the fuel covered floor and seize onto a wall, but her whole body was covered with the stuff and her claws couldn't catch, as she crashed down on the ground again after failing to grip another one of the fuel tanks, as Zippy tried to get up again and fell on her rear.

"Damn. The shit's worse then oil." Nightwalker said, as the fuel continued to fill the room.

Sil finally got to her feet, and with a shriek she launched herself at Zippy, who was immediately knocked down, the two of them sliding across the floor and hitting the wall. Zippy ducked under the claw swipe and pushed off, sliding away from Sil again, as Sil whirled around, got up, and then fell down again. Zippy stopped, carefully got to her feet, and then tried to run. She promptly fell on her face.

"We need a new plan!" Jinx yelled.

"Thinking, THINKING."

"Can we ignite the fuel to kill Sil?"

"Sure, let's blow up enough fuel to blast half this building into oblivion."

"What if we closed the door?"

Nightwalker thought that over.

"Too risky. The training rooms were built from scratch and hence made of much sterner stuff then the old school, but there's no guarantee…"

Sil sprang up the wall, bounced off, and lunged at Zippy, who managed to dodge and fell on her face again. She staggered up, her legs rubbery.

"Sil's adapting faster then Zippy! We need to do something!"

"Something or the best thing?" Nightwalker asked, as Zippy got up and tried to run a few steps, and then fell flat on her rear again. Sil took the chance and sprang, but Zippy reared up her legs and bicycled them, which was roughly the equivalent of Sil jumping into a jackhammer. She hit the fuel tank near the hole, a fresh gush of fuel spraying on her body.

"Why are we still standing here?" Jinx asked.

"Because…!"

And then Sil sprang up, set her legs, and thrust out her arm.

And the tentacle extended out, once again going across the whole room, catching Nightwalker by surprise as he'd thought Sil would need more time to recharge before she pulled such a stunt.

And Jinx hadn't been expecting it at all, as the tentacle wrapped around her and dug in, jerking Jinx forward as she screamed. She hammered on the tentacle, clawing at it with her nails, and then remembered her knife, as she dug at her pockets, forgetting where it was, seizing on the first thing she found…

The detonation device Nightwalker had also given her. Still in the grip of panic, she transformed it into a bludgeon as she hammered on the tentacle with it…

Then Zippy ran up behind Sil, elbowing her in the back of the head, and then managed to kick her down before slipping again, and as the tentacle slackened Nightwalker came up behind Jinx and cut the tendril in one quick swipe.

As the detonator began beeping rapidly. Jinx stared at it, realizing what she had done.

And did the knee jerk thing any person who realized they were holding a live bomb did: get rid of it, as she hurled it away.

"NO!" Nightwalker screamed, trying to grab it and failing as the detonator flew into the room and splashed down near a corner. "YOU COULD TURN IT OFF IF YOU ACTIVATED IT!"

"…Oops." Jinx said in sheer horror, as Nightwalker grabbed Jinx and ran with all the speed pure panic could muster: fortunately Sil hadn't dragged Jinx over the fuel puddle yet, as Nightwalker and Jinx ran past the door.

"What button did you press?"

"Uh, the middle one?"

"Shit! ZIPPY GET OUT HERE! YOU HAVE SIX SECONDS!" Nightwalker screamed again. Zippy reared up, but as she started to run a pair of claws reached up and sank deep into her calf, and she screamed and fell down again.

"Fuck. God forgive me." Nightwalker said, and stepped over and hit the door close button. Jinx's eyes widened in horror.

"What are you doing? She'll die!"

"And if the bomb blows with this door open we'll ALL die." Nightwalker said grimly, as the door began to slide shut.

Zippy saw it closing, and one final blaze of adrenaline surged through her system as she sprang up, even as Sil's tentacles reached for her, trying to rip open her guts and pull her heart from her throat…

Zippy grabbed them and tied them in a knot, fired fifty punches into Sil's face, and then leaped up and did a flipping kick across her face, knocking Sil down with a scream as Zippy flipped over, landed…

And slipped again.

The door continued sliding close. There was less then two feet left.

And Zippy realized she wouldn't make it. Her speed wasn't enough, and the conditions were horrible. She was going to die.

…Good. Things had to be made right. The whole team had to go. There was either an Elementals or there was nothing. She was just correcting the balance.

Just…

_"Remember class, this is a world where very few of you can make it on your own. You have to watch out for each other. Giving up on others is the same as giving up on yourself, and vice versa. And those who give up…well, you're stealing the money and the jewels and the whatnot from them. They don't deserve them for giving up, so we take them. Because in that kind of apathy, you don't even deserve to die."_

Scorcher's words…

…She wouldn't just lay back and let it happen. It would go against everything she had been taught.

But even if she didn't want to surrender to the seeming inevitable, she didn't know what to do. She just wasn't fast enough…

Hell, she heard that all the time. She was a speedster? Hah hah. Hermes left her in the dust in every test. Cauterize held such little respect for her that he'd outright ignored her when the Elementals had tried to take him in. And it was the Flash who was the fastest man alive, who had the legacy of speed. She could just run fast, and that would…

Do. Because it always had. Maybe not for her peers, maybe not for her rivals, but maybe in the grand stage! Screw the Speed Force! Screw lightspeed! She was Zippy, and damn it, SHE-WAS-FAST!

The door had a foot left…

And the bomb blew, even as Sil got to her feet. The fuel ignited immediately, flashing across the ground…licking Zippy's heels, as she dug deep down inside herself and ran, ran to save herself, ran to defy the odds, ran to defy reality, ran because she was the fast Elemental and SHE COULD DAMN WELL RUN…!

The girl blitzed past Jinx and Nightwalker, throwing them backwards from the windshear, as the door slammed shut.

And Sil turned her head even as the ground ignited around her and flame traveled back into the still concentrated fuel tank. Her scream echoed in the room.

And then was swallowed by the roar as the tank blew and the entire room was consumed in purifying flame, burning Sil's cells right out of existence as well as her final cry, as the tanks blew one after another and multiplied the power of the blast, and the doors and walls of the room the three lay in bulged out dangerously before the fire found an easier exit, the roof, and exploded out in a massive mushroom cloud of fire, striking the shield and cracking against it as it belched everywhere…and faded back. A few more blasts spurted from the ruined building section, but the blast had in the end been contained as best it could.

Bits and pieces of wreckage finished raining on Nightwalker and Jinx, who realized they were entangled again, Nightwalker on top this time.

"You know if I was a fool I would have sworn someone was trying to tell us something." Nightwalker commented.

"…Really?" Jinx said, a tad breathy.

"I'm not a fool though." Nightwalker said, as he got up and helped Jinx up. "Zippy? You ok? That was…oh no." Nightwalker said, as he saw where Zippy was lying. She'd managed one final blast, but it had had very little control: enough to get through the door, but not enough to fully put on the brakes, and hence she'd charged right into the opposite wall and now lay on the ground, breathing shallowly, her eyes glazed and a thin line of blood running from her forehead.

"Damn." Nightwalker said, jogging over as he pulled a mini flashlight from somewhere. "Zippy? Can you hear me?"

"…Made…" Was all Zippy could muster. He shined the flashlight in her eyes, getting what he thought was a good reaction, but he wasn't a doctor so he really couldn't tell: she could have a concussion or worse.

"Zippy, what's your name? Who's the president?"

"…Sal Marks…an asshole…"

"Is she alright?" Jinx asked.

"Not sure. Zippy, do you know where you are?"

"I know…what I need…bed…tired…so tired…"

"Damn." Nightwalker said. He checked Zippy's neck and found her pulse ok, and then he gestured for Jinx to help him lift the girl.

"My expert medical opinion is that I don't know if letting her rest will do her harm or good, but in either case she's completely helpless. We need to get her to a safe room and then get help. Rocko will probably know something."

"That sounds about as good as we can manage." Jinx said, as she and Nightwalker headed for the lone remaining door…and realizing the keypad was destroyed due to a stray bit of shrapnel. Nightwalker cursed and put Zippy down so he could retrieve the C4 bag and blow it, while Jinx stayed with Zippy, trying to comfort her.

"You got the bitch Zippy. You made sure she stayed in one place long enough to bite it. You won." Jinx said, referring to Sill.

"…Won…no…all dead…all gone…just me…why me…don't deserve this…any of this…I'm bad…I'm…bad…" Zippy babbled to herself. Whatever confidence and will she had mustered to fuel the speed boost, it appeared to have shattered on the wall she'd hit.

In the end, all Jinx could do was stroke her hair.

* * *

And the creature seized onto Flay's hair as it jumped off the barrels that happened to be stacked near the door and pounced onto his back. Only the fact that Flay was on edge saved him from having a heart attack in surprise, though the creature seemed quite ready to rectify the still living problem as it stabbed a scalpel at his eye. Flay intercepted it, cutting his lower primary finger as he tried to keep the scalpel away from him, even as Belinda, Patrick, and Kane whirled around.

"What the fuck!" Belinda yelled.

As another dwarf, clad in brown-red robes that gave them a remarkable resemblance to Jawas, came out of nowhere, swinging a bone saw at Belinda's ankles.

Too bad for it her boots were armored.

The bone saw clanged off, though it hurt, and as Belinda yelled and stumbled away Kane aimed at the dwarf and blew it away, his high caliber gun blowing the small frame into pieces, the body fountaining not red blood but yellow goo, even as Flay finally got a grip on the dwarf that had attacked him and slammed him on the floor. He stomped his foot, and a knife shot from his footwear, a knife Flay used to eviscerate the dwarf in a gruesome kick, more yellow crud spraying on his boot.

"What the hell are those things!" Patrick yelled, as more emerged from behind various covers and the shadows.

"The guck they bleed didn't tip you off? Flense said the Tall Man had dwarf servants!"

"Yeah but…oh my god." Patrick said, as he stared at one particular dwarf. "That's Phil."

"What?"

"The dwarf! It was Phil! We played cards together!" Patrick said, pointing at one of the approaching midgets, the face he knew now shrunk down and turned a golden hue, barely resembling the man Patrick had known.

And it was charging with another scalpel.

At least until Flay's whip lashed down and caused the dwarf's head to explode with an expert blow combined with an ultrasonic pulse, yellow gore exploding from the body, even as the other dwarves ran in to attack.

"He wasn't Phil any more! None of them are! We have to get out!" Flay yelled as he flipped over the group, and with a lash from his flame whip set three dwarves ablaze. The Hive drones snapped out of it and opened fire, blowing the midgets away as they tried to get close, their choice of weapons no match against what the Hive commanded.

At least until the low humming whir became apparent.

"Fuck! They caught up!" Kane cursed, and turned his gun towards the hallway the four had just come from, blasting three spheres before Belinda grabbed him and yanked him back, the four retreating as more spheres emerged, Flay covering the Hive with a whirling whip shield as Patrick and Belinda blew away a few more dwarves, the four of them finally getting past another door and closing it behind them.

More spheres emerged, swarming around the room, and more, and then the Tall Man entered, slowly, the dwarves looking to their master for orders.

"Patience." The Tall Man said. "They haven't much farther to go."

* * *

The room Mammoth had smacked Uberjason into was a training room devoted to overcoming difficult terrain. And since Blood had no use for people pussyfooting around, the terrain was actually quite dangerous, with balance beams that stretched over fire, rope climbing with ropes that randomly electrified themselves, and an obstacle course that included flying buzzsaws, swinging axes, and a tightrope walk over a razor sharp bed of spikes. Only the obstacle course was up at the moment…

And Uberjason had found one of the buzzsaw launchers, and having ripped it open, he hurled one of the deadly discs at Mammoth and Buzz Bomb. Buzz Bomb shrieked and dove for cover, while Mammoth tried to also do so, with less success: the buzzsaw slightly clipped his side, opening another stinging wound. Growling, Mammoth straightened himself, only to find a barrage of whirling razor blades heading his way. He bobbed and weaved as best he could, but his large frame only conducted itself to avoiding so well, and finally he had to make a sacrifice as he brought his hand up to avoid a buzzsaw hitting him in the face. The blade cut deep, and Mammoth bellowed in pain and rage.

"Baran!" Shimmer said in the next room from the noise.

"I know Selinda. But we can't follow him. He told us not to." Rhinoceros Beetle said. Shimmer looked around helplessly…and then glanced down. Her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Wilby! The camera!" Shimmer said, holding it up.

"What?"

"The Camera Obscura! It takes pictures of ghosts, right, and stops them? Well Jason's not really alive either! Maybe it will weaken him!" Shimmer said, and then much to Wilby's surprise she pulled away from him and ran for the open door.

"Ack! Shimmer no wait! Mammoth said to stay here! Stop!" Rhinoceros Beetle said, chasing after Shimmer. You would think his much larger stride would let him catch up easy, except he had another asthma attack in the middle of it, and by the time he'd sucked down another inhaler shot Shimmer had gone through the door.

"No! Selinda! Come back! You don't understand!" Rhinoceros Beetle said as he started running again. "THERE'S NO FILM IN THE…"

And then the door slammed shut in his face.

"Camera! No! How? What! Let me in!" Wilby said, mashing at the keypad. But he didn't even get an error message: the pad had gone dead altogether. Unable to get in the usual way, Wilby tried to do it Mammoth's way…and found the doors locking up when he tried to pry them apart. He'd activated the magnetic defense, the doors seemingly and actively working against him. That meant the only way to get in would be to pound the door down. Mammoth could do it, Rocko could do it, Platinum Blonde could do it…because they all had invulnerability talents. Rhinoceros Beetle did not. Even with his immense strength, he'd break all the bones in his hands before he got the door open.

Wilby sank to his knees before the door. One simple task and he couldn't even do that. No wonder Sabotage was always pushing him around and Brother Blood was forever riding him. He was as worthless as they decreed, unable to even do…

…No. Fuck that.

Rhinoceros Beetle shoved himself off the ground, turning around to stomp off. He might not have been able to smash the door open, but he wasn't powerless. His room had a pair of special metal gloves that he could put on to shield his fists. With them on, it would hurt like hell still, but he'd get the door down.

He was tired of running away.

* * *

"…Shouldn't have survived…others so much stronger…why me…I've sinned…" Zippy continued to babble as Nightwalker and Jinx helped her down a hallway.

"That's crazy talk Sal: it's no sin to survive. Just relax, we'll let you lie down soon and you'll feel better…" Nightwalker said.

"…Should be punished…may as well have killed them myself…I'm a murderer…"

"That's nonsense Zippy! Stop saying it! It only has as much truth as you're willing to give it! And you should give it none, because it deserves none!" Nightwalker shot back. He wondered how much of this was grief and how much of it was the head injury Zippy had suffered.

"Here, this looks like a room." Jinx said: due to Scorcher's earlier explosion due to what she had found, Nightwalker and Jinx had had a hard time heading back to the dorms, as they'd ended up in that section, with the hallway all warped and distorted, the doors melted shut. They'd finally gotten through it though. The door opened to Jinx's touch, and the two of them brought Zippy in. It had a nice large bed.

"Ok Zippy, you just rest here. We're going to go get Rocko." Nightwalker said, laying the speedster down.

"Should be with them…bad…deserve it…"

"Zippy, listen up. I know this must hurt horribly. And I know it makes no sense. I don't know why life does these things. It's either arbitrary or just plain mean, and in either case you're not to blame. So STOP THINKING THAT."

Zippy was silent.

"All right, you just rest here. We'll be back before you know it." Nightwalker said, as he headed for the door, locking it behind him.

"You think she has a chance?" Jinx asked.

"I don't know. I have no idea of the degree her head injury is, and if that doesn't kill her, the poison in her soul might. I really hope she listened Llarenes. I have a feeling a reaction like that in this place is a siren song for god knows what."

"You think…?" Jinx said, trailing off at the suggestion that even worse could happen.

"Like I said Jinx. It's either cruel or its arbitrary and in either case we need to look each other over before we find Rocko. If you haven't noticed, you have a hole in your pants."

Jinx was surprised she could still blush.

* * *

"What the…" Mammoth said, as he heard the door slam behind him, and he turned to see his sister standing there, looking rather stunned. "SELINDA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

"I'm trying to…OH GOD LOOK OUT BARAN!" Shimmer screamed, as Uberjason swung for Mammoth's torso, the morph weapon formed into a cruelly barbed blade.

Mammoth intercepted it with his hand, slicing it up even more, but that didn't matter: his sister was in danger and he was wasn't going to stand for it, as he violently shoved Uberjason away with the other hand. Reaching up, Mammoth yanked down one of the swinging axes that was on the course and brought it to bear, first smashing Uberjason to the side with the flat and then swinging it up and burying in deep into Uberjason's shoulder, black blood squirting from the wound. Mammoth reared back his foot and kicked Uberjason away, as the weight of the axe drove him down.

"Buzz Bomb! You better have one of your namesakes or I'll just throw YOU at him!" Mammoth snarled, as Shimmer ran to his side.

"No need!" Buzz Bomb said as he flew next to them, his assembled explosive at the ready. "PREPARE TO DIE, MONSTER! Let all cower before the sexy might and intelligence of Buzz Bomb, master of all he surveys! When my terrible vengeance is wreaked upon thee, you will BEG for your pathetic lives, all of you, ESPECIALLY Gizmo, but I won't relent for a moment, just as you…!"

"SHUT UP AND THROW IT!" Mammoth bellowed as Uberjason yanked the axe out.

"Right!" Buzz Bomb said, and hurled the bomb at Uberjason, who watched it coming with some surprise.

The explosion consumed the entire middle of the room, and pretty much destroyed the entire obstacle course except for the spike bed, which was reinforced against the floor.

"Selinda, what were you trying to do? And where the hell is Wilby?" Mammoth growled.

"I…can't just let you fight alone Baran…"

"That's not your choice to make! God damn it all! And you…what the hell was that whole bit about vengeance?" Mammoth growled.

"Just you wait…" Buzz Bomb replied.

And then Uberjason strode from the fire, the flames sputtering out on his body, pretty much unaffected.

"…Well, shit." Buzz Bomb said.

"Bra-vo." Mammoth replied in an acid tone.

"Well, when in doubt, get a bigger boom!" Buzz Bomb said, and flew off. Mammoth growled, as his eyes flicked to Shimmer and then back to Uberjason.

"All right. If you see an opening, nail him with something. BUT STAY AWAY FROM HIM." Mammoth ordered, and then charged in, preparing to rip Uberjason's head off and, if it proved necessary, shove it up his ass.

Shimmer watched helplessly as her brother once again engaged Jason in fisticuffs, drops of blood splashing from his wounds with every blow. She couldn't let him fight alone, but what could she do?

She tried the camera, but as Wilby had been cut off saying, it had no film. Then she thought about turning the air to something…but what? Chlorine? That would hurt her brother more. Nerve gas? Ditto. Maybe she could throw something at Uberjason…

As Uberjason showed his own immense strength by dodging one of Mammoth's punches and slamming his fist into the giant's ribs: only Mammoth's stumble kept him from getting struck by the follow up slash by a metalliplastic blade. He backed up against the very tall spike field, a few of the points pricking his side, but Mammoth promptly made the spike field work for him as he reached down and broke off one of the long spines, using it as a club to drive Uberjason away as he approached.

Buzz Bomb, in the mean time, had flown over to a corner of the room and had begun feeling along the wall. Finding what he needed, he zapped two places with his lasers and a section of the wall fell off, revealing a large square plastic box that had clearly not been part of the original wall makeup.

"You laugh off my bombs, huh, huh?" Buzz Bomb babbled to himself, as he began removing the box. "Once I modify this, you'll never laugh again! Though you never laughed in the first place! Or at all! Well you'll never get the chance! Hah ha ha ha!" Buzz Bomb cackled.

Mammoth had by now totally forgotten about Buzz Bomb, as he rammed the spike into Jason's guts and shoved with all his strength, trying mightily to see if he could manage some or any damage at all. All he did was expose himself as the morph weapon Uberjason wielded turned into a spiked mace which Uberjason smashed across Mammoth's head, sending the older teen reeling away and collapsing. Uberjason yanked the spike out of his body, examined it, and then raised it above his head as he prepared to impale Mammoth.

"BARAN!"

The spike abruptly turned into candy glass, which shattered on Mammoth's already bleeding chest. Jason looked perturbed at the state his weapon had suddenly taken on, and then turned to Shimmer as she frantically scrambled back, having had to run right up close to Uberjason to transform his weapon. Uberjason's weapon morphed back into a blade, as he began to stalk towards Shimmer, who backed up in terror…

Mammoth was back on his feet with a speed you would have never believed, as he rammed his shoulder into Uberjason and charged.

"NO ONE HURTS MY SISTER! NOT EVEN YOU!" Mammoth bellowed, as he rammed Uberjason into the door leading to the next training room so hard it smashed it off its hinges, sending the pair charging into the next room, which was mostly empty: the only things in the room were giant weights and some gymnastics gear. Mammoth didn't keep his grip on Uberjason long, as he slammed the killer down onto the ground so hard he made a dent and sprang away before Uberjason could stick him again. He spat out a bloody tooth and glowered as Uberjason began to rise once more, even as Shimmer ran in through the smashed doors.

Mammoth's eyes flicked around the room. Yes, this could work, but he had to move fast!

"Shimmer, get over on the other side! Hive Training Room 1-B, this is the student Mammoth, requesting highest difficulty training session, maximum lethality!"

"Acknowledged." The computer said (Mammoth would have said a small prayer of thanks for it working if he'd been the type to believe in God, which he wasn't), as the walls and the floor began opening up, weapons emerging and arming. Uberjason glanced around in surprise.

"Override base training program, code: Crandall, Darhk, Adeline!" Mammoth snapped, now glad that Gizmo had made him memorize all the stupid things he had. "Remove training parameters! Hive students stating names! Baran Flinders, Mammoth!"

"…Uh! Selinda Flinders, Shimmer!" Shimmer called, as she realized what her brother was doing. Removed from their training duties, the weapons would revert to a basic offensive program of defending the Hive, and that included people in the Hive: Mammoth and Shimmer had just confirmed this by saying their names.

Which left the weapons one target, as a multitude of laser dots appeared on Uberjason's body. He looked down on them.

Seven different machine guns opened fire, and as Uberjason danced under the huge firepower barrage, other weapons firing lasers, exploding discs, and high velocity metal spheres opened up as well. Uberjason vanished under the onslaught, explosions consuming him.

"You ok?" Mammoth said as he joined Shimmer at the other end of the room. She nodded, even as the weapons continued to fire. But without a program limiting them, it didn't take them long to run out of ammo, leaving a cloud of smoke in the room.

Smoke Shimmer turned to water vapor, allowing the room to clear much quicker…and revealing Uberjason lying on the ground, twitching.

"Fuck." Mammoth snapped: all that and he was STILL showing signs of life. Mammoth's eyes fell on a massive cube of steel, one of the weights he and the other strongmen trained with. He had an idea.

"Selinda, turn this to glass!" Mammoth said, pointing at the cube. Selinda did so, which allow Mammoth to easily hoist it up and hold it over his head. "Now back to steel!"

The cube was returned to its old state, and Mammoth staggered under the new weight.

"Baran?"

"Stay here! Gonna finish this bastard off once and for all." Mammoth said, and stomped over to Uberjason. His morph weapon lay two feet from him; Mammoth kicked it away before he got any closer, as he took a deep breath…

And Shimmer, from her angle, saw Uberjason's arm tense up and then reach down for his leg, and her eyes widened.

"BARAN LOOK OUT!"

"WHAT?" Mammoth said.

As Uberjason yanked out his machete, the machete Mammoth had forgotten about, the machete Uberjason had retrieved before he had found the buzzsaw launcher, the machete he stabbed deep into Mammoth's chest as he sat up. Shimmer screamed.

"………………How…" Was all Mammoth could whisper, and then his strength left him, falling backwards as the steel cube fell to the ground with a gigantic crash, as Shimmer wailed again.

And realized Uberjason was back up, and looking at her. She blinked once, her tear-slick eyes shining with fear.

Uberjason started for her, and Shimmer ran, screaming, out of her mind with panic, Uberjason calmly picking up his morph weapon as he stalked after her, planning to complete his set.

* * *

The clock tower had been part of the original school: why Blood had never torn it down was something only he knew. But he'd insisted it be left up, and hence the Hive had rebuilt around it, building their training rooms and expanding outwards, leaving the clock tower in the rough middle of the school.

It still worked, and that was because of the second reason Blood kept it around: cleaning it and making it run smoothly was a great punishment. A great punishment one student had clearly resented, as he'd tried to completely remodel the top before he'd been caught and expelled. The mess hadn't been cleaned up yet, and hence the top of the tower now not only held the giant intricate mechanisms needed to turn the clock hands (which had stopped when the lightning had hit it) but a mess of chains, tables, broken parts, and general junk. A stairway that could be entered from one of the training rooms ran up the tower in a wall-hugging spiral. A stairway had once led up to the very top as well, but the wood had been far too rotten and so Blood had had it ripped out and replaced with a ladder exiting into the middle of the clock tower's top, wooden fencing placed around the hole to prevent anyone from falling due to the new lack of stairs below.

Shimmer entered the room in a blind run, and skidded to a stop only 2/3 of the way through when she realized the door in front of her was closed. Whirling around, she saw Uberjason emerge through the door she herself had just run through, and in the grip of panic and thoroughly manipulated by the essence that had polluted the Hive base, she dashed for the clock tower entrance. Uberjason's head turned to follow her, and then he started walking after her.

The door crashed open as Shimmer ran into it, and she ran for the stairs, taking them two at a time, getting about a third of the way up before she had to stop for breath. She looked down the stairway, and as Uberjason emerged and started ascending the stairs she screamed and began running again, never realizing she was essentially entrapping herself.

Uberjason calmly headed up the stairs (an odd thought occurred to him: he was glad he wasn't on fire…except he had never been on fire while walking up stairs. In a basement, walking through a cornfield, yes, but stairs…still he could swear…). He'd put the morph weapon in the holster that had held his machete: he preferred it, as he slowly ascended up the ladder that led to the clock tower top. The barrier around the hole consisted of a chest high piece of wood for the ladder climber to slip under, which Jason did.

Nothing greeted him except a mess and the creaks and groans of an old structure. He stepped away from the edge of the hole, took several steps into the room, and slowly looked around…

The sledgehammer slammed into his face, red hot, its normal hammer end converted to red hot metal, and as Uberjason stumbled back Shimmer hit him with it again, and again, and…the head broke off as the head burned through the wood, causing Shimmer to stumble. Uberjason recovered and slashed, and Shimmer screamed as the machete sliced through the armor on her chest…but not all the way, her organs saved by her brother's paranoia. The impact knocked her to the ground though, and Uberjason reached down and seized her by the hair, as he brought the machete to her throat and sliced sideways…

As the machete turned into water. That surprised Uberjason, as Shimmer had grabbed the hilt and gotten rid of the weapon. Shimmer frantically tried to get away, but she couldn't fully escape Uberjason's grip, and the slasher grabbed her by her upper armor and proceeded to hurl her into the clock tower's right wall. Shimmer bounced off, dazed by the impact, and as she looked up…

Uberjason's metal arm seized her, yanking her up and holding her above the monster as he began to crush her throat.

* * *

"All right!" Buzz Bomb said, as he completed his rewiring. The bomb he had yanked out of the wall could be set several different ways: Buzz Bomb had just set it in a way that would lessen the overall distance but greatly increase the damage done in the actual explosion area using carefully manipulated waves of impact, heat, pressure, and shrapnel. It would have easily sunk an aircraft carrier, as Buzz Bomb snapped the plate back on, picked it up, and got up…

And found himself facing an empty room. He'd been so absorbed in his task he'd never noticed the fight had left him behind.

"…HEY!" Buzz Bomb yelled in a wounded voice. "What gives! I was told to get a bigger boom! I have a bigger boom! This is an outrage! This is prejudice! But you readers don't care, do you? You want to get back to the previous scene, leaving me here gnattering to myself like some loony bin escapee, and why should you care, I'm just bits of data on your computer screen, a collection of 0's and 1's inside your hard drive! No, DON'T PAY ANY ATTENTION TO ME…!"

As you wish.

"Wait no…!"

* * *

Shimmer struggled and kicked, trying to escape Uberjason's iron grip, but she couldn't break it, and spots were starting to dance in front of her vision from lack of air, as Uberjason coldly looked on her, increasing the pressure bit by bit, making it last. The girl had ruined his pride and joy, and turned it into WATER of all things, so her end would be slow, even as Shimmer tried to escape, but his grip was, quite literally, steel…

And Shimmer realized just how true that was.

The hand that had been feebly clawing at Uberjason's arm suddenly grabbed it, and as Uberjason looked at it, he suddenly felt an intense burning INSIDE the arm, and then suddenly all the strength faded from up, as holes opened from INSIDE the arm and liquid began dripping out, hitting the ground, hissing as they struck, and as Uberjason reared back, dropping Shimmer, who collapsed on the ground, raggedly sucking in air, he looked in amazement at the arm, as the fingers wilted and more holes appeared, dripping the same acerbic liquid. Acid. She'd turned the inside of his arm to acid, and it was starting to fall apart…

Then it stopped, as the nanomachines began their repairs, and as Shimmer looked back up, her eyes going wide, Uberjason lowered the damaged arm even as he withdrew the morph weapon with the other. She had destroyed his machete, but he would make do, as his evil power seemed to interact with the morphing weapon as it shifted and changed into a carbon copy of the machete, right down to the black with rust and blood coloring. And as Shimmer continued to stare up at him, Uberjason started forward…

As the hand clamped down on his shoulder. Shimmer hadn't been looking AT him; she'd been looking PAST him, as Uberjason was spun around to look into Mammoth's furious face.

"You should have listened." Mammoth said.

The shockwave from Mammoth's titanic blow was so strong it blew the gears in the clock mechanisms, cracked the thick glass of the clock face, and rattled the whole tower, as Uberjason flew back through the air and crashed through the wall above Shimmer, smashing right through the side and out into the open air above the school before gravity seized him and yanked him down, as he smashed through the roof below him, falling back into the obstacle course…and landing right on the field of spikes, the many blades impaling right through him, as Uberjason gave one massive spasm, and then was still, dark blood running down the many spikes.

"Brother!" Shimmer said, as Mammoth fell down to one knee, breathing heavily.

"Henh. That would have killed a normal guy, but I got a lot more muscle and bone there then the average man. Too bad mama's boy didn't try and finish me off when I fell down in shock." Mammoth joked, though even Shimmer could see he was clearly hiding how severe the wound was.

"I thought you were dead." Shimmer said, giving Mammoth a hug.

"Dead? Hah! No one beats your brother!"

"Except the Titans."

"Right, except the Titans."

"And Superman."

"Yeah, but with him I was really drunk."

* * *

If anyone believed Ned Flanders had a high pitched scream, they should have heard Buzz Bomb as Uberjason crashed through the roof and was impaled on the spikes. It didn't last though, as curiosity replaced fear and Buzz Bomb crept up next to the spike field, looking at Jason's thoroughly skewered body as blood pooled on the floor underneath him.

"…No boom? It ended without a boom?" Buzz Bomb lamented. "How could it end without a boom? This undermines my entire worldview!"

Jason sat up.

Buzz Bomb almost made boom in his pants, if you know what I mean.

Though saying Uberjason sat up was generous, as he had a spike impaled through his right arm…and his left arm…and five through his chest and torso…and one through his head, sticking out his eye mask. So it was more like a small upward jerk.

But another followed it, and another, as Uberjason started to move. With a sick slurping noise, he yanked his head off the spike, even as he yanked one arm free and broke off one of the spikes that had been jabbed through his chest.

Buzz Bomb began backing up, unable to believe that the monster just would not die, as Uberjason continued to try and get free, even as more black blood spilled from his wounds…

And Buzz Bomb remembered what he was holding.

"Hmmmmm, ok, so this guy's immortal. If I run, he will appear right in front of me when I think I'm safe. I have no hope of victory or escape, nor does anyone else in the Hive. Only one thing to do." Buzz Bomb said, and pressed three buttons on the side of the box. A rapid beeping came from within it.

"TOP OF THE WORLD MA! TOP OF THE WORLD!" Buzz Bomb yelled, and hurled the bomb at Jason, and then ran for his life, as the bomb bounced off the spikes and slid down to the ground near Uberjason, as he looked down at it, as the beeping reached a crescendo…

The explosion blew the whole room to hell and shook the entire Hive base, as Buzz Bomb flew ahead of the blast and came down near the end of the second room, ironically on top of the metal block Mammoth had planned to use on Uberjason.

Buzz Bomb watched the door to the room he had just fled. Nothing emerged, and he cackled wildly and began doing a victory dance.

As for how good it was…let's just say Elaine Marie Benes suddenly had some competition.

* * *

Rhinoceros Beetle glanced over his shoulder at the shudder and faint noise. That was the second time in a short period of it he'd experienced such a thing, what was going on? Well, he could figure it out later, he had to get to his room! He was almost there…

And he made it, despite what had happened to the hallway (had someone taken a blowtorch to the whole thing?). Wilby shrank back down to his normal size and punched in the code, as the door swung open…

Into hell.

The blood was the first thing Wilby saw, all over the walls…and the second he saw was the bed, his hand clamping over his mouth in sheer horror.

The head lay over the side of the bed, a line of blood traced down it, a look of unspeakable pain and horror etched on it. Zippy. It was Zippy.

And she was quite dead. Her whole body had been butchered, laid open from groin to gullet, entrails and organs strewn across the bed, the bed so soaked with blood it was dripping with it.

And a figure loomed over her, a figure whose hand was plunged deep within the cavity that had once been Zippy's body, the fingers almost seeming to fondle the gore, as if it found it erotic.

Its head only moved in the very slightest bit, but Wilby didn't need for it to do so to recognize the figure. And if he hadn't already emptied his bladder earlier, he probably would have pissed his pants.

The light in the room was dull, but Wilby didn't need it. He already knew the form, the skin with flesh so pale it seemed white, skin covered with dirt and dried blood, the only clothing an apron like skirt also covered with dried blood…and the head…not human, an impossibly large helmet that was so big it dropped the figure's head to his chest, smeared all over with blood and in the shape of a…pyramid.

Nightwalker had been more right then he had realized. Concussion based or not, Zippy's longing had been answered, answered by a creature created to punish sinners, real or imagined, and Zippy had found in the end she couldn't run from it…from her fate…brought on by what she wanted…

"…Oh god…" Wilby said. He should have seen it coming. He should have known with the Camera Obscura appearing that elements of the games were coming to life. That the hell corridor that Mammoth, a corrupted soul, had seen, while his innocent sister Shimmer saw nothing came from a game series that was renowned for such terrible things, _Silent Hill._ And if _Silent Hill_ had an avatar, it was the figure before Wilby, a monster born in the atrocities of executioners and reborn through an evil that sought to punish the guilty, whether the guilt had a base or not…

"…Pyramid Head." Wilby squeaked.

Pyramid Head's head moved ever so slightly, as if noticing Wilby for the first time…as Wilby forgot his task, forgot what needed to be done, forgot absolutely everything except a desire to run, to get away from this horrible monster, a monster that had emerged from the realm of fiction and was probably quite eager to get started on a new body count.

Wilby fled screaming down the hallway.

And Pyramid Head stepped off the bed, leaving Zippy's body, as he reached for a gigantic knife, a knife so big he had to drag it behind him, a knife slick with newly shed blood, as he began to follow Wilby.

* * *

"What was that?" Jinx said, as the explosion rippled through the Hive.

"Don't know, don't care. Hold still."

"Ow." Jinx said as Nightwalker pricked her.

"Told you. Almost done." Nightwalker said from where he was, Jinx bent over a chair as he sewed her pants back together, having also bandaged the wound that had been there. It was a very intimate position, and Jinx was aware of it, as a slow flush had grown through her. It was the last thing she had expected to happen, but in the last few hours she'd been through a hell of a lot, stuff that could change your whole worldview…and it had mostly been shared with this man, who'd stood by her like he'd known her all his life…

…And she was so tired of it. So much death, so much suffering, her old life so far removed. She wanted it back, if only in a small way…any way…

"There." Nightwalker said as he finished sewing. "Cost us some time, but better then you going around and mooning everyone during…" Nightwalker trailed off, as Jinx had suddenly turned around and pressed herself up against him.

"Take off your mask." She breathed.

"Jinx…"

"I don't care if you're ugly or scarred. I know what's inside. Take off your mask. I want to see your face…" Jinx said breathily…

The slap was the last thing she expected, and it smashed her mood like it was crystal.

"OW! What the hell was that for!" Jinx snapped.

"Maybe you could tell me. Considering how you almost just pulled my pants off. Which is the last thing I want Jinx." Nightwalker said coldly.

"But…"

"JINX, REMEMBER WHERE WE ARE. We are in an environment that can influence us, one that wants to make us vulnerable. It's playing on that, trying to make us do something stupid, so we can be picked off. I know that Jinx, and you know it too…because your feelings aren't for me. You're projecting them."

That was like a bucket of ice water in Jinx's face. Which is ultimately what she needed.

"…What?" She said, blushing furiously.

"Crisis situations are tricky Llarenes. The human mind and body don't react all that well to them. If shared with others, that can produce strong feelings, feelings that seem normal and almost right, but they're almost always hollow Jinx, needing great work to survive, and that's if the feelings are mutual. Jinx, before this night started I didn't know you from Adam, and vice versa. Yet you're coming on to me. It doesn't take a genius to figure out you're trying to work through something and I'm currently in the crosshairs. So back down Jinx. You're playing right into their hands, whoever 'they' are. I don't know who or what those feelings you're having are for, but don't let them use them." Nightwalker said, and stepped away as he picked up his belt and snapped it back on. He'd transferred the remaining C4 from an over-the-shoulder strap bag to a smaller 'fanny-pack' esque belt bag that he had tightly clipped to his left side. "Whoever 'they' might be." Nightwalker added.

And Jinx realized he was right. She had been acting foolish. Her feelings were for…who?

…Him?

"Jinx." Nightwalker said. "I hate being the cruel one, but we have to keep moving. So whatever you're feeling, shove it down and bury it. It'll get in the way."

"…Right…of course you're right." Jinx said. "But…Nightwalker?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you never take your mask off?"

"…I have my reasons." Nightwalker said, and headed back out into the hall. Jinx stared, and then followed.

"Damn." Nightwalker was saying, as he reloaded. "My own moment of slippage back in the training room is coming back to haunt me."

"What?"

"My ammo. I used up all the good stuff to kill Sil. I'm down to regular and a few specialized non-lethal ammo types, and two detonators. We need to get to Rocko, and fast: not just for Zippy, but to help if we run into something else."

"What could be worse then…"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Came the voice screaming out of the shadows. Nightwalker nearly blew Billy's head off.

"YOU!" Jinx said.

"Oh god the monsters, all over the place, keep them away!" Billy babbled. Nightwalker lowered his arm as he signed in relief. Just another Hive member…albeit one that was clearly quite mad. How far his mind had skidded off the rails, Nightwalker would have to see.

"It's ok Billy. The monsters are gone. You can calm…" Nightwalker said, putting a hand on Billy's shoulder…a hand that was slapped away.

"Not gone! Everywhere! In me! In you! In the walls, coming out of the goddamn walls!" Billy shrieked. "But they won't get me! I have died a thousand deaths but I won't die any more! I will persevere! I will outlive all of you, including me!"

"Billy snap out of it!" Nightwalker said, trying to give Billy a blow too, but he squirmed away. "Billy stop…it…"

"I will not stop! I will live! You will all die!" Billy said, backing away from the pair. "Scream in horror! Your destinies are sealed! But I will live, for nothing beats the numbers game, and I am No 1, as well as a million…!"

And Billy bumped into him.

He froze, his whole face going white, and then he slowly turned around with a whimper to look at the figure that stood in the shadows.

As a chainsaw roared to life.

"NOOOOOAAAAAAAUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Billy screamed as the roaring blade came down, ripping into his chest and tearing him nearly in half right before the shocked gazes of Nightwalker and Jinx.

"Crap." Jinx said in a small voice, as Billy's body fell to the ground, revealing the culprit: bloody butcher's clothes, mask of human skin, and a roaring chainsaw that sprayed blood on the walls as he lifted it over his head.

Leatherface.

The remake version.

"Oh god, why couldn't they have gotten the old one where he's retarded?" Nightwalker asked.

"It was already out."

Leatherface lowered the smoking chainsaw, a low squeal coming from his mouth, a subhuman noise of satisfaction. He'd found and caught one of the meals that had escaped him earlier, and now here were two more! More meat!

Leatherface raised the chainsaw again, the roar sounding like a beast from hell.

"Run." Nightwalker said.

"Yeah." Jinx replied, and the two of them did just that, as Leatherface charged after him, his chainsaw's guttural growl snarling like a rabid animal, as if it longed for blood as much as its master did.

The two fled for their lives.

Never realizing one of them was already doomed.


	10. Second Coming

Part 10: Second Coming

Finally, success.

After another nerve wracking trip back to his room for more combat equipment (and nearly getting shot by the sentry cannon Gizmo had forgotten he'd put there), and then criss-crossing the Hive, his eyes glued to his motion detector to prevent anyone from getting the drop on him, Gizmo had by the process of elimination located the computer that was powering the shield surrounding the HIVE. Once he shut it down, they would actually be able to escape.

Of course, life only dangled the success in front of him so it could cruelly yank it away, as Gizmo came to the end of the hallway that his map said led to the room that had the computer.

Or what had been a room. Now it was a giant pile of rubble coming out the open door. Unknown to Gizmo, this was the very room where Zippy and Hermes' race had ended, where Zippy had touched off the second coming of the horror, and where Brother Blood might still lay, buried under tons of rubble.

Gizmo stared, his arms raising helplessly and then falling to his sides. All that work for nothing. Even if Gizmo had had the assistance of one or more of the Hive's strongmen/women, it would take hours to move all the rubble.

They were trapped, at least until the shield gave out. With nothing assaulting it except heavy rainfall…Gizmo did the math. The incident had begun around 7 PM: Gizmo had lost his watch and wasn't paying attention to clocks but he estimated that it was nearly 2 AM now. Another minor irony: that meant Halloween was over. It was Nov 1st, All Saints Day. But the word there was DAY: as long as it was night, chances were the creatures would still reign supreme. And assuming the shield had activated soon after the incident, Gizmo estimated it could run for another six or so hours, at most.

It looked like there was nothing left to do but curl in a ball and hope the monsters didn't find him.

Gizmo thought that plan over for several seconds and rejected it. Normal people gave up: he was a genius. He'd solve the problem.

And something had indeed occurred to him. If the shield was still up, then the computer was still running well despite being under all the rubble (good construction, but Gizmo knew that: he'd helped build the damn things). And Gizmo was always way ahead of the average geek in terms of gear. And that gave him an opportunity.

The setup was complicated, but for a lack of a better term it was similar to wireless internet. Except instead of logging into the World Wide Web, Gizmo would log into the computer nearly, buried under rubble or not, and get into its systems to shut down the shield. The process was still a long way from perfection, but Gizmo could definitely try and use it here: he'd programmed the damn thing.

"Heh heh heh. I'm such a genius." Gizmo chuckled to himself as he sat down, yanking parts and devices from his suit and assembling a workstation within a minute. He put his motion detector down next to him and turned it up as high as it could go: nothing was catching him by surprise (he hoped). He quickly assembled his 'signal beacon', connected it, and then after cracking his fingers, began entering a blur of commands, data streaming past his eyes as he tried to take the first step of actually getting into the system without having a wire connection to it.

* * *

Nightwalker and Jinx's problem had a far simpler solution: run like hell.

However, after her initial panic of a new slasher and Billy's brutal death wore off, Jinx suddenly had a small epiphany.

"Wait a minute!" She said, as she and Nightwalker rounded a corner. "Why are we running?"

"What?" Nightwalker yelled, needing to yell over the roar of the chainsaw.

"We took down three super-powered monsters! Why are we running away from a big retard with a chainsaw?"

"Because in these close quarters HE has the advantage! We need room! Don't think of it as running! Think of it as…advancing in another direction!" Nightwalker yelled, and Jinx was struck by a sudden sense of déjà vu.

"Well, can't we at least TRY and fight back?"

"…Sounds good!" Nightwalker, and stopped on a dime. As Leatherface shrieked around the corner, he raised his gauntlets and shot several orbs into Leatherface's body, the monster squealing in pain as they struck him, even though about half of them bounced off his chainsaw. Jinx fired a few hex blasts, and the area around Leatherface exploded, knocking him onto his face with a crash. Unfortunately, he didn't land on his chainsaw, and within two seconds he was getting back up. Nightwalker cursed as he and Jinx started running again.

"Missed getting the original, where Leatherface was more amusing and creepy and sad then dangerous, could have just gotten something else, but noooooo, had to get the remake where he's built like a linebacker and has a 40 pound chainsaw!" Nightwalker muttered to himself as the duo turned and ran down another hallway.

Their mortal enemy, the Locked Door, was awaiting them. Jinx let out a wordless shriek of frustration.

"Well here we are again." Nightwalker said, as he reloaded his arm gauntlets.

Leatherface came thundering around the corner, and Nightwalker shot him in both knees, dropping him flat. Of course the bastard didn't land on his own chainsaw again, and as he was getting up Nightwalker spun around, shoved Jinx aside as she fiddled with the panel, and violently kicked it. With a shower of sparks, the door opened up.

"Why didn't you shoot it?" Jinx asked.

"A bullet's too good for it." Nightwalker replied. "I think we're getting back to the training rooms, once we're there we can KKKKRRRRRR-EIIISSST!" Nightwalker shrieked as the two of them stopped dead.

This time, there had been no cue. It had been a normal hallway and then suddenly darkness flashed over it and it was anything but normal.

The ground was so covered in sticky something or other that its makeup was impossible to tell. Light bulbs dripping blood swung crazily overhead. And this time…

It was a display.

On one side was a clear wide grating, beyond which was a well lit room, in which a bed rested. On the bed were a pair of mannequins, covered in blood, blood that sprayed on the walls and floor as one brutally raped the other, blood curdling screams tearing from invisible mouths, assaulting Nightwalker almost like a physical blow, as he backed up so fast he nearly fell over and took Jinx with him before he tore his eyes from the sight and started running. He only made it a few steps before he stopped, as Jinx stared in horror at her own sight. It was another grating, another room, which in this case held an easy chair, a TV, and a man. At least one could assume it was a man. His face was utterly pulverized, smashed to indistinguishable gore, tiny bits of what had once been flesh dripping from the ruin, as he looked out on the pair of them, looking despite no longer having eyes.

Jinx's whole digestive track seemed to be doing flip-flops. She didn't know if she wanted to vomit, faint, or just let her mind break and go quietly into the darkness.

Pulling her face was the sight almost seemed like Nightwalker was turning a rusty gear, but he did it, and what motivated him was a returning roaring buzz.

"He's still after us! We have to move!" Nightwalker said, looking into Jinx's face. Jinx saw her own terrified visage reflected back at her, and that snapped her out of it, as she nodded and turned to go.

And then a bloody hand slammed through the grating and seized her shoulder. Jinx screamed as she was yanked backwards, as the man, the thing with the destroyed face, had gotten up and grabbed Jinx, Jinx feeling hot breath on the back of her neck even as she screamed and tried to get loose, Nightwalker helping as he tried to yank Jinx free with one arm and get a shot at the monster with the other.

And then Leatherface was there, his chainsaw swooping down out of the darkness.

It struck flesh and seized into it, boring its way through muscle and bone like it was nothing…but it was the creature behind the grate's arm that had been caught, Jinx yanking out of his grip and away just in time, and a low wet gurgle emerged from the monster's throat as Leatherface sawed his arm off, Nightwalker and Jinx running for it.

Leatherface yanked his chainsaw from the destroyed arm, not fully severed but mostly there, and then with a grunt of annoyance he pushed it, his body slamming into the stuck arm and actually snapping it off, fresh blood spraying on his clothes as he pursued. If he saw anything in the hallway, he gave no sign.

* * *

A screen popped up on Gizmo's workstation.

"Yes! I am invincible!" Gizmo cackled, and immediately located the shield mechanism. Glancing over his shoulder before he began to make sure he was alone, he began rapidly typing again.

It only took him seventeen seconds to complete his task, as the computer informed him the shield was off.

"Booyah!" Gizmo said, doing a peace sign…and then realizing what he had just said. "Argh! Crudd'n Crudborg, fought him too many…"

And then a new screen suddenly popped up on his workstation, pulling Gizmo's eyes to it. They widened: it was a warning screen. The system was reading what he had just done as a hack.

And if it did decide it was a hack, it would do everything it could to kick Gizmo out of the system, block him, and undo whatever he had done. And apparently Gizmo's unorthodox entry had caused it to read him as an outsider.

A bead of sweat ran down Gizmo's forehead. No! He couldn't come so close to be done in now!

Gizmo's hands furiously began typing again, as he began launching into every single program he knew to try and prevent a reversal.

* * *

Having no idea where he was going and not even caring, Wilby ran, ran like all the demons of hell were on his heels instead of just one.

Pyramid Head followed, and you wondered why Wilby was doing such an all out sprint, as his pursuer was walking very slowly, his gigantic knife apparently so heavy he had to drag it behind him, though the fact that he was holding it with one hand hinted that perhaps there was more to it then weight. His head permanently dripped due to the massive pyramid he wore, he walked with his crotch almost thrust out, slowly but surely stalking Wilby Tierney.

But why? Why was he after HIM? Pyramid Head had been the manifestation of the dark side of the protagonist of _Silent Hill 2_, James Sunderland. As one found out in the game's plot, Pyramid Head had been created by the dark powers of Silent Hill, a cursed town that served many purposes, including the punishment of sinners. The town held a mirror up to the souls of the malefactors, all of whom on some level knew that they deserved and wanted to be punished for their crimes, and it manifested whatever dark secrets lay locked in their hearts. Pyramid Head had been a creation of rage and malefic sexual desires, a nightmare phallic symbol called to James to punish him for his sin, the sin the player eventually learned of even as James did…

But Pyramid Head had been created for James specifically. Even if he had been called to the realm of reality as the 'face' of Silent Hill, he still needed to match up with his victims. Wilby didn't know why Pyramid Head had butchered poor Zippy…

(Her soul-shattering guilt, false as it was, and her thoughts that she had sinned and deserved to be punished for it, was what had brought about her fate. But while James WAS guilty in the end, Zippy's guilt was questionable, which makes one wonder how and why Pyramid Head killed her…unless one understood that Silent Hill was not the master force in play, but rather a factor of another force, a force which didn't need to follow such strict rules, a force that, unbeknownst to many, was growing stronger by the hour…)

…and he didn't know why Pyramid Head would want to come after HIM. He barely mirrored James at all. So why…

Wilby's questions were stopped by the needs of his body, as his oxygen-deprived lungs initiated another asthma attack, and despite the fact it was the last thing he wanted to do Wilby stopped, pawing through his robe through his inhaler, finding it and sucking the medicine down to try and relax his contracting lungs, more air starting to come in…

And then Pyramid Head walked around the corner, like he had no concerns whatsoever. Wilby screamed and took off again, dropping his inhaler.

Pyramid Head, more because it was in his way then anything else, stepped on it and crushed it underfoot as he continued on after Wilby.

Wilby had no idea where he was going, what section of the Hive he was in now, even if he was still going in a straight line. He just knew, much like Zippy, he had to run, as he ran through an open door…and skidded to a stop as the hallway morphed around him, just like with Nightwalker and Jinx.

Paintings.

The walls were now covered with paintings, lit behind glass. Wilby stared bleakly at the walls, unable to believe what he was seeing.

But that was the point of _Silent Hill_.

It didn't just scare you, it messed with you. It encapsulated you and refused to let you go in anything less than a body bag. And Wilby was no different than Harry, James, Heather or any of the other victims of the madness that was that small foggy town off the coast of a lake.

The paintings, placed behind that musty glass, images that seemed to haunt his present, and probably his future. It was dark brown and red in colour, lumpy in some places, smooth in texture in others, set upon maddening stained tiles and stretched material that could have been skin made to act like canvas. On closer inspection, if Wilby had been brave enough to make one that is, he would have seen they were painted in blood. Blood that was both very old and VERY fresh.

Wilby cowered away from the images as he made sense of them. The focal point of the picture in front of him was a mural, almost a tapestry of pain and hate: a man coming to a town and settling down, cowering away when he was threatened, by seemingly everyone, and then…a great destruction came upon the village. And he ran away again, leaving his life, his loves, his hates and everything behind to suffer so he might live. It was a cycle, a never-ending route of suffering and misery that seemed to engulf everyone that had any connections with this unfortunate man. Except him, because he always fled.

Wilby groaned and turned away, his horror dragging him, gnawing at him to turn, and like a good victim he did so, unquestionably. The grating on the other side of the room was an open plane, as barren as it was desolate, and until he figured it was a replica of the room he was in he would have had no compulsion to think it was nothing more than a nexus of the emptied, fevered thoughts that had concocted this vile machination of 'god'.

And then it ran by. Whatever it was, Wilby couldn't tell, it's arms, face, body, all fused in to a squealing mass of flesh, a mass that seemed to repulse itself in its own insanity, as it ran, and ran, or at least shuffled with the greatest speed it could muster.

Until a spear stabbed the creature in the back of course, halting its movement and its pain, halting everything that it had once been, Or at least once tried to be, as it was nothing more than a monster…and nothing less than a human.

The spear had come from nowhere, but before Wilby could make sense of it all, the stage blurred before him, and suddenly it too was a painting. And the hideous thing was no longer there. Someone new had replaced it.

Pyramid Head.

Wilby wanted to run, but once more he was compelled to look, almost as if he had wanted to. This picture that was worth a thousand words, and another thousand for good measure.

It was a painting about judgement (and one of the main promotional shots of _Silent Hill 2_, though Wilby didn't recall that at the moment).

Pyramid Head's visage, its image, its likeness stood there proudly armed with what might have once been described as the spear of Longius, the biblical figure who stabbed Jesus to make sure he was dead, now putrefied and corrupted to form this weapon, more a spike than an actual spear now. The same weapon that had struck down the monster before the young man. And behind it, or him, in the mist hung a collection of chambers, each supporting or constraining a victim that was being tried and then put to death in the prison that was underneath the historical society on the very boarders of the lake.

In the game this was a hint to Pyramid Head's origins. Here though, something…was notably different about it.

In one of the cages was a man, like all of them, but he was bigger, broader, stronger than all the others, and yet despite this he was curled up in his cage, his prison, all dignity gone, his form crawled and withered like a foetus, his honour and pride stripped from him like layers of skin.

It didn't take a genius to see who it was supposed to be.

And with his eyes seized by these sights, it was only the sense of movement that made Wilby turn around.

Pyramid Head stood there, unmoving, as if he was waiting for Wilby to resume his running.

Wilby stared in horror for a second, and then he did just that, finally tearing his eyes from the horrible paintings as he ran past them, continuing down the hallway, trying to outrun it all.

And Pyramid Head followed, as if he already knew the outcome and was just going through the motions of getting there.

* * *

Mammoth had indeed been hiding how much the stab wound had hurt him: even with Shimmer's blood trick he was still slow and lethargic, needing Shimmer's help to escort him down the stairs and to the training room to the right, where they rested. Mammoth knew he was in a bad way: he'd lost a lot of blood and quite possibly had holes in places that wouldn't do well to have holes. But he couldn't just lie down: he still had to get his sister out of here. Jason had almost got her, and that tore at him. She hadn't been at the Hive long, she hadn't been properly trained, properly 'seasoned' for lack of a better term. She knew how to use her powers but she didn't know how to USE them: the only reason she'd managed to fight Jason in the clock tower had been a cornered animal mentality. She was too soft, too nice, and too vulnerable for this kind of experience. He had to get her out of it, because without him she'd be lost and easy prey.

Rhinoceros Beetle was still AWOL: in a way Mammoth was glad. He was a third wheel in every sense.

But when Buzz Bomb walked in, Mammoth also wished he could switch the two.

"Ah! My meat shields! It is good to see you again! I trust you are well?" Buzz Bomb asked, smirking. Mammoth growled.

"I still have enough strength to break you in half smart ass." Mammoth said as he got up.

"Pshaw! As if!" Buzz Bomb said, as he fluttered on his wings and zipped around Mammoth. "We're already doomed. The worst you can do is guarantee that I'm not possessed or turned into a zombie or something."

"What? We've beaten back our attacker! We're not doomed!" Shimmer said.

"Who are you kidding? We all know that everybody here is expendable because there isn't one hero among us! We aren't acting out the whole horror movie, we're just the opening scene where a bunch of unsympathetic slobs get offed!" Buzz Bomb retorted.

"A seven hour opening scene?" Mammoth said.

"It's all going to be edited down, and then shown as bonus materials on the DVD."

"Then who are the main characters then?" Shimmer asked.

"Those accursed Titans!"

"Who, may I point out, are over fifty miles away." Mammoth said, fighting back a brief spell of dizziness before he continued. "What are the slashers going to do, hitchhike?"

"If the shark in _Jaws The Revenge_ could not only figure out where the people were going to fly, but then beat them there despite IT BEING A SHARK and them BEING ON A PLANE, then these villains can find the Titans!"

"That movie sucked anyway."

"And _Jason X _was a cinematic masterpiece? He still proved to be a pain in the neck." Buzz Bomb said. "Until my boom of course."

"Don't get cocky. Even if you put him down for keeps, who knows what's left?"

"The aliens from _Aliens_, or maybe the aliens from _Pitch Black,_ or hell why not the Thing from the…_Thing_, heck we could have the _Killer Klowns from Outer Space_ show up…"

"That wasn't a question I wanted answered!" Mammoth snapped. "Grah. What's next, _The Blob?_"

"I don't think the Blob would be much of a threat." Buzz Bomb said.

"Why not?"

"It's a blob!"

"If I remember correctly it's a big nasty blob that can slither through any crack and corner and causes a burning acidlike sensation when it touches living tissue."

"It's a blob!"

"They made not only a movie but a sequel and then a remake for a non-threatening monster?"

"It's still a blob!"

"Why are we having a prolonged argument about The Blob?" Shimmer asked.

"Oh, who knows?" Buzz Bomb said, winking at the screen. "But in reality folks, it doesn't matter if Quiltface and Luthor the Geek show up, we're all doomed. It's the heroes that survive horror films, and not a single one of us is a hero."

* * *

"How much ammo do you have left?" Belinda asked her two surviving soldiers.

"Two full clips." Kane replied.

"Down to one and whatever I have left in my gun." Patrick replied afterward.

"Ditto." Belinda said, looking unhappy. She turned to Flay. "And you kid?"

"Uh…most of my whips are still ok, but they're not really designed to work in such a small space…" Flay said, as he looked around the room the four of them were in. The route they had taken had eventually dead-ended to this room filled with machine parts. Belinda had opted they go into the room, lock the door, and make a stand there. In the open they'd be easy prey for the Tall Man's army, and if they kept running they'd exhaust themselves before the Tall Man did. Here, they might have a chance.

Though Flay didn't think it was much of one.

"That's ok kid. You stay in the back. We'll take point. If they get past us, well, you won't have to worry about hitting us."

"…Why would you do something like that?" Flay asked.

"Hey, you're the elite H.A.E.Y.P member kid. We're just the ones who washed out of your program, or were never that special to begin with. Blood keeps us on pretty much to die for you. May as well do our duty." Belinda said, in the calm cynicism of the person who knows the only option left for them is a final blaze of glory.

Flay just stared, and Belinda turned back to her men.

"All right. We're going under the assumption that he'll drill and melt through the door rather then just rip it off the hinges. If it does that, maybe we can pick them off one by one. Watch out for those golden spheres, they have a…"

"HEY!" Patrick yelled, and Belinda snapped her head around as her eyes widened.

Flay had moved. He was now standing outside the door. He nodded to the three, and then he reached down and pressed the keypad on the other side, even as Belinda realized what he was doing and lunged for him.

The door closed in her face, and before she could get to her own keypad Flay, in one smooth motion, snapped out his electric/sonic whip and cracked it, the tip shattering the console and shorting out the lock, as Belinda found out when pressing her own keypad resulted in nothing more then the usual spark spray.

"NO! KID! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! NO!" Belinda said, pounding on the door, as Flay put his whip away. The door reduced the angry yells and pounding to muffled thuds, but Flay didn't have to hear the words to know the question.

"Believe me, if I knew, I might feel more confident." Flay said, as he turned and walked away.

"Shit! The stupid kid locked us in! What gives! The organization is supposed to be training him to be a bank robber and assassin, why the hell did he do that?" Belinda wondered.

"Guess he's still considering his opinions." Kane said.

"Shut up and crack the lock!"

"Why?"

"You think I'm going to let some stupid kid kill himself? Forget it! Crack the lock!"

Flay heard none of this, as he made his way out to the training room that the storage hallway led from. He went to the middle and stood there, waiting.

It didn't take long for the humming whine to return, as a sphere zipped in. Flay tensed, but the sphere stopped several feet from him, and then it shot out a stalk that an eye actually emerged from, looking at Flay. It then turned around and zipped back through the door.

Flay waited, doing a mental inventory.

The Tall Man came a minute later, stepping through the door. His dwarf servants clustered around him, while the air around him swiftly filled with spinning spheres.

"So. You've come to accept your death." The Tall Man said.

"No. I've had enough of it." Flay said, as he yanked out a handle, his plasma-energy whip snapping out with a hissing sizzle. "Leave us alone, or suffer the consequences."

The Tall Man's face screwed up, as if he couldn't comprehend the concept of Flay's actions. At least Mike and Reggie always had guns.

Well, he didn't need to understand. He just had to do his duty.

And as if by some unspoken cue, the dwarfs swarmed forward, even as the air behind the Tall Man suddenly filled with spheres, and even as that happened Flay yanked another whip out, adding a second deadly cutting line of plasma to his arsenal, and leapt to meet his foe.

The best were remembered, and Flay had always considered himself to be one of the best.

* * *

"I mean, in a lot of ways there aren't any heroes left whatsoever. Everyone's all 'Ohhhh looka me, I'm so DARK and MOODY and ANGSTY, I must be SO mature and REFINED'. Doesn't anyone remember the days when World's Finest would have covers of the heroes riding on bikes or playing checkers? I miss those days…" Buzz Bomb said, looking away from Mammoth and hence not seeing the hands slowly creeping around his head as Mammoth prepared to strangle him. Shimmer yanked them away, Mammoth looking disappointed for a second before his face took on a serious cast again.

"Ok then. Let's move. Buzz Bomb, you go first." Mammoth said, standing up and wincing a bit in the process.

"What? Why me?"

"I can give you five good reasons." Mammoth said, as he counted off each finger on his hand that closed into a fist.

"Point taken." Buzz Bomb said.

"Plus you seem to have a knack for surviving." Mammoth added.

"Oh that's simple. It can be attributed to my excessive cowardice and willingness to use those around me as shields and decoys." Buzz Bomb said. Mammoth's eyes narrowed again.

"Well I guess your-ARRRRRRRAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" Mammoth screamed as the blade suddenly burst through his gut, splattering a horrified Shimmer and Buzz Bomb with blood, and as Mammoth looked down in utter shock the blade was yanked out. Mammoth collapsed.

"No…" Shimmer whispered.

Burnt as black as sin, his body a crazy patchwork of metal and fabric, his mask melted across one side, Uberjason stood there, eyes blazing, blood dripping from his morph/machete. They always thought they had him. They always thought they had enough. He was JASON VOORHEES! Nothing would EVER be enough!

"See? Without him, he would have gone for ME first." Buzz Bomb quipped, even as Uberjason raised his blade and Shimmer screamed again.

The mule kick was unexpected, slamming Jason into the air and across the room again, as Mammoth slammed the unstoppable killer away from his sister. Strangely feeling more of an icy numbness then actual pain, Mammoth got up, putting his hand to his stomach and finding it coming away wet with blood.

"Baran!"

"Selinda…" Mammoth said, as his vision swam before him, and he fell back onto his hands and knees, blood dripping from his wounds.

"Come on!" Shimmer said, getting under her brother's arm and hoisting him up, even as Uberjason was getting back up again. "Buzz Bomb, hold him off!"

"But he…"

"DO IT!"

"Yes ma'am!" Buzz Bomb said, as he rose up on his wings, even as Shimmer began dragging her brother to safety. Buzz Bomb flipped open a panel on his bee abdomen, and then he flew at Uberjason.

"Didn't have enough last time huh? I guess you really want to feel the BUZZ!" Buzz Bomb proclaimed, as he fired a spray of lasers at Uberjason and then grabbed and hurled several grenades he apparently had premade earlier and hurling them at the slasher. Uberjason vanished in explosions, and Buzz Bomb flew up near the ceiling and dropped two more bombs down, causing the explosions to triple in size. Luckily by then Shimmer was pulling Mammoth into the next room, as Buzz Bomb flew down to look at his destruction with a mad grin.

"S-U-C-C-E-S-S! That's the way you spell…!"

All aflame, Uberjason walked from the explosions, the fires starting to die immediately, barely noticing that he was even ON fire. Buzz Bomb screamed and fled for the same door Shimmer and Mammoth had exited from, Uberjason following like the approaching of death itself.

* * *

"This way!" Nightwalker yelled, as he and Jinx went around the corner of a plus sign shaped hallway and headed down towards the training room, as their foe, who in his own way wanted Nightwalker and Jinx to feel the buzz, continued his chase, the chainsaw roar an ever-familiar sound.

Nightwalker and Jinx made it to the training room, not even noticing the blood stains and scorch marks that marked the battle that had been fought there mere minutes earlier, as Nightwalker began reloading.

"Ok! Step One! We get that chainsaw away from him! Step Two! We hit him until he falls down and doesn't get back up!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Jinx said, as she cracked her neck, shoulders, and knees.

Leatherface charged into the room, waving his chainsaw around before slicing it down at the pair, but no longer hemmed in by the hallway, the two split apart in an acrobatics display. Jinx went in first, kicking Leatherface in the side and then dodging away from his chainsaw swipe, which allowed Nightwalker to shoot him several times in the back, and as the monster squealed in agony Jinx ran in and tried to yank the snarling chainsaw from his grip. Leatherface's eyes, barely visible under his mask of human skin, blazed in response, and he violently yanked the weapon sideways, throwing Jinx away and to the ground. He stalked over and raised his chainsaw, and then Nightwalker flipped over him and kicked him across the face, and as he staggered from the loss of balance Jinx sprang up via her hands and slammed both her feet into Leatherface's gut, and as he then doubled over Nightwalker spun and kicked him on the side of the head. As the psycho fell, Jinx's eyes glowed as she reached out into the chainsaw's mechanisms…and was violently repulsed by some kind of feedback, a feedback that slammed into her head like a jackhammer and nearly knocked her senseless.

Leatherface reared back up and thrust the chainsaw forward.

It grazed Jinx's stomach, as Nightwalker yanked her away and fired the last of his orbs in the current clip into Leatherface's face, sending the lunatic rearing back with the squealing wail that marked his every agony. Nightwalker shot the last orbs of his other clip into Leatherface's hands, trying to break or sever the digits, but the chainsaw blocked most of the shots, and Leatherface quickly lowered it and then charged again, smoke billowing from the weapon.

"We need more room!" Nightwalker said, trying to back up, but Leatherface closed the distance even faster, swinging his chainsaw in a wide low slash, which wouldn't have cut off Jinx's hair horns if she hadn't already lost them to Sil, and glanced off Nightwalker's helmet as he tried to duck, knocking him for a loop. Jinx fired off a hex blast into the chainsaw, causing it to snarl to a halt, and then she leapt and spun, kicking Leatherface in the chest and knocking him back. Nightwalker shook off the brain rattling and he and Jinx ran for it, heading for the next room as Leatherface got his chainsaw working again and headed after the two.

Nightwalker almost stopped when he got into the next room. The place was an utter wreck, as if someone had detonated a large bomb inside it, the walls, floor, and ceiling an utter mess, small fires still burning in some areas.

"Damn! What happened here?" Jinx echoed.

"Don't know, but we can't fight…"

Leatherface lunged from the door, slicing his chainsaw down, and Jinx and Nightwalker sprang away, avoiding the blow as sparks shot from where the weapon grazed the floor.

"Jinx! Next room! We need-AUCK!" Nightwalker gasped as he did a cartwheel flip and started to run…and then his legs plunged through a weakened part of the floor, going up to his knees as he fell down, the limbs twisting painfully and leaving him motionless. Leatherface seized onto the prone target, as Nightwalker got back up from the actual fall and tried to yank himself free. Leatherface's shadow fell over him, and he looked up, the chainsaw reflecting in his helmet, and he snapped up an arm and aimed…

His gauntlet just made a dry clicking sound. He'd forgotten to reload.

Leatherface almost seemed to grin, as he swung down the chainsaw.

Jinx appeared from nowhere, ducking in under Leatherface's range and stopping the slash by blocking Leatherface's arms with her own forearms, her knees nearly buckling under the blocking effort, and sweat broke over her face as she tried to resist Leatherface's lunacy-fueled strength, the chainsaw snarling just above her as she grabbed onto his arms, slick with blood, and tried to push it away, but Leatherface was just too strong, as he drove Jinx down…

Until she adjusted her ankle and kicked him in the balls as hard as she could. There, he was still a man, and as he shrieked/squealed in agony she tightened her grip and shoved up with all her strength while the monster was weakened, ramming the body of the chainsaw into Leatherface's face. Leatherface staggered, and Jinx leapt up and slammed both her heels under his chin, knocking him clear off his feet as Jinx completed her flip. She turned and grabbed Nightwalker, her better positioning providing the leverage needed to yank Nightwalker's legs free.

Nightwalker could only stare at her. She smiled slightly and nodded, and then she was off running, Nightwalker by her side.

Leatherface shook off the blow and got back up. Stubborn meat. He'd take great pleasure tenderizing it.

* * *

"Grahhhhhhhhhhhnnnnn…" Gizmo snarled, as he furiously fought with the computer, almost tempted to grab it and start shaking it, yelling 'Speak to me!'. It shouldn't have been this hard. Maybe the computer was faster, but it could only follow its own basic programming, programming Gizmo had written, on top of the fact the computer couldn't improvise. Gizmo hadn't expected it to be easy, but he should have had it under control by now. It was almost as if something was aiding the computer, consciously trying to screw him over…but was that possible? Gizmo remembered the blog entry, what the 'essence' of the films had supposedly done, but there was a world of difference between influencing panicky humans and an unfeeling computer…

It was as if it was getting stronger…

And so Gizmo fought on, ignoring his cramping fingers.

And not noticing the figure as it stepped into the hallway behind him.

Gizmo continued rapidly typing, pausing to wipe the sweat from his brow, and started up again…

And realized that his motion detector was buzzing. His head snapped around.

Nothing. The hallway was empty.

Gizmo stared for another second and then turned back to his work. Must have imagined it.

* * *

"Selinda…" Mammoth whispered, and then coughed violently, blood oozing from his mouth.

"This was never a one way partnership Baran. Not when we were kids, and not now." Shimmer replied, trying to be brave for her injured brother, as she dragged him through yet another training room (how many damn rooms did they have? Had they started multiplying like rabbits?), leaving a trail of blood.

Buzz Bomb, er, buzzed through the door after them.

"He just won't go away! No matter how many times I boom him!" The bee teen complained.

"Then jam the door!" Shimmer yelled.

"Great idea!…I have absolutely no idea how to do that."

"Just do it!"

"Deeeeeeee…" Buzz Bomb whimpered, looking around, trying to ignore the approaching form of Uberjason. "Jam it, what can I jam it with, maybe something big…hey he's pretty big…" Buzz Bomb said as he looked at Mammoth.

"THINK HARDER MORON!" Mammoth yelled, and then coughed again, more blood running down his chin.

"The keypad!"

"Right!" Buzz Bomb said, as he ran over to the keypad. "What's the code for 'Keeping Out Psycho Killers'?"

"Just hit buttons until the door reads an error and closes to prevent a break-in!" Shimmer yelled, as she continued to try and drag her brother free. There were two exits, and both were closed, and both their keypads were shattered. But that didn't matter: she could turn the doors to salt or paint or salty paint, anything that was less solid.

Buzz Bomb was frantically punching buttons, trying not to look up, everything would be fine as long as he didn't look up…

He looked up.

Uberjason reached for him.

"AIIIIIIIAAHHHHHHHHH!" Buzz Bomb screamed in a very Chris Tucker like fashion.

The door closed on Uberjason's arm, stopping the grasping fingers an inch away from Buzz Bomb's head. He staggered back, as the arm futilely reached for him.

And Mammoth collapsed, unable to support his own weight any longer.

"Baran!" Shimmer said, trying to get her brother turned over so she could look at his wounds.

"Ha ha ha!" Buzz Bomb said, sticking his tongue out at Uberjason.

Uberjason's other hand reached into the gap and began yanking, forcing the door open a bit and freeing his stuck arm. Buzz Bomb went back to the Chris Tucker scream.

And then a loud buzzing came from the door, and it stopped moving. The magnetic defense had kicked in. Uberjason shoved angrily at the door, but it refused to budge another inch.

"Hah! Neener neener!" Buzz Bomb said, as Uberjason tried a few more times, and then his arms pulled away. "That's right run! You would have found out just how invincible you are! Which would be not enough!"

A tremendous boom rang through the room, and the door dented inward as Uberjason hammered on it. Shimmer suddenly found Buzz Bomb hiding behind her: she had never even seen him move.

"Stop that! You have any medical supplies in that stripy butt of yours?" Shimmer asked.

"Uh well not sure…"

"JUST LOOK AND DO IT BEFORE HE BREAKS IN!"

"Yes ma'am! Geez, following the cliché that the innocent finds hidden reserves of strength, gee, that's a surprise…"

Uberjason continued to crash against the door. The odds were that once he broke in, the first thing he would do was hideously murder Buzz Bomb.

"All right, all right! The classics are best! Geez…"

* * *

The sphere lanced for Flay's head.

And exploded as the plasma coil smashed against it, expertly flicked, as Flay finished his corkscrew back-handspring and landed, leaping to the side as he slashed his whip out and sliced a dwarf in half. He fell onto his shoulder, rolled, sprang up, ran for the nearest wall, leapt off it, and spun through the air in a somersault, his whips whirring around him and smacking spheres from the air like flies.

The Tall Man wasn't exactly what you could call impressed, but even he had to admit he had never seen a human boy handle his Sentinels so efficiently and brutally. But this only had one ending…

Flay landed, kicked a nearby dwarf in the head, then ducked under several flying spheres and slashed out, catching all of them in one lash, a series of explosions that blasted behind Flay as he did a no hands cartwheel and backflipped away, expertly keeping his own whips from striking him and avoiding two positron laser blasts, as he sprang to his feet and snapped out both whips, blowing up the two golden spheres that had fired them.

And then a silver sphere rammed into his stomach, and then a second later a dwarf jumped on his back, stabbing a scalpel at his neck. Flay yelled as he grabbed the scalpel, and then screamed as the drill began to piece his skin. He yanked backwards, ramming the scalpel into the dwarf's eye, and as it screamed Flay reached down and yanked the sphere free before it could drill too deep, ramming it into the other eye of the dwarf and then throwing him off his back. But more dwarves came, and Flay could only cut down two before they swarmed him, stabbing and slicing, forcing him down under their weight, fresh blood appearing on his shoulders, arms, and legs, and Flay yelled and screamed…and then he twisted and shifted out of his jacket, the dwarfs all falling into a heap as Flay pulled himself from them. They leapt up, cursing…

One massive whip slash sliced them all to bits. As they fell apart, Flay reached into his now ruined with yellow goo jacket and expertly extracted the two whips he had concealed in there, getting them out and on his body before any spheres could attack him.

A meatgrinder sphere was the first to try, and it was slashed in half, the pieces flying around Flay as he finished resetting his whips and leapt, flying gracefully through the air and dodging spheres along the way. He landed and dove through the nearest door, ending up in another training area. A wide-open training area. Uh oh.

Spheres followed him in, and he slashed them to pieces, and then glanced down at a tiny meter embedded in the hilt. Crap. His energy whips were starting to run low on power, and they were his best weapons. But Flay had more then one trick up his sleeve.

A silver and golden sphere lanced at him, and Flay slashed the silver sphere from the air and then cartwheeled away from the golden one's whirling buzzsaws, as he simultaneously deactivated one whip and yanked another from his arsenal. It was technically his weakest whip: the anti-grav one. By itself, it didn't do much damage. But the special technology built into it allowed anything he wrapped around it to become incredibly light…light enough for Flay to swing it around with ease.

And Flay had a good target idea, as he lashed out, the whip end wrapping around the golden sphere, and as it veered in confusion Flay twisted, grabbed, and yanked, swinging and slamming the golden sphere down into the ground, knocking it dead. But the whip stayed wrapped around it.

And the dwarves were starting to arrive, but they got a nasty surprise, as Flay spun the whip up and lashed it out, his improvised spiked end slamming into the side of a dwarf's head and sending him flying in a spray of yellow goo. Flay backflipped and leapt again to avoid two spheres attacks and smashed them out of the air with his remaining plasma whip, even as he smashed another dwarf in the chest with his improvised bludgeon whip and then actually smacked another sphere from the sky with it.

Blades whirling, a barrage of buzzsaw and armsaw spheres attacked, tearing through the air as Flay. Flay yanked his bludgeon whip back and spun his plasma whip in front of him, forming his own deadly blade.

It cut most of the spheres down. Most.

Two buzzsaw spheres made it through. One missed him entirely, another tore through the bandage on his cheek and sliced open the old wound.

And one armsaw sphere plunged deep into the right side of his chest, boring in, and Flay screamed again, stumbling back as he grabbed at it. The whirring blade hurt almost as much being pulled out as it did going it, and Flay through it to the ground and stomped on it, then spasmed as fresh agony slammed into his chest. That had begun sawing into a rib, he had felt it…

But more spheres and dwarves were coming, he couldn't relent now, block the pain, shove it down, as he rolled away from another armsaw sphere and sprang up. He lashed one of the buzzsaw spheres coming back for another go from the air, bludgeoned a dwarf on the top of his head, spun and slashed two more spheres away, then swung up another arm and smashed another dwarf who was leaping for him from the sky, and then he backed up as he spun his whips around him in a fierce, varying pattern that caught all attackers as they approached, the last of the spheres and dwarves crashing to the ground as Flay finished his last moves and slammed his whips down, his eyes darting about for his next attackers…

And realizing, strangely, there were no spheres around him any more.

What there were was dwarves, emerging from the shadows and from behind things on the outskirts of the room. Damn, there had to be at least fifteen of them, three times the number that had piled on him before. And it was clear they all planned to attack him at once…

When the lone silver sphere attacked him, as it flew through the air, its blades snapping out, going for Flay's head. When he attacked it, all the other dwarves would attack as well, overwhelming the teen, as the sphere flew in…

And right into the lash of another whip, the sphere entangled like its brother had been, but even as Flay did that move the dwarves were charging…

As Flay yanked the whip back, and in a blur of movement he entangled it and the anti-grav/makeshift bludgeon whip together, even as he flicked a switch on the anti-grav whip.

The dwarves closed in.

"Goodness gracious." Flay said, as he grabbed the middle of the entanglement and began spinning it above him with one hand, and then reached up with the other, aiming for another switch.

"Great balls of fire!"

And the whips ignited, Flay's flame whip linked with his anti-grav one, and just before the flame reached his other hand Flay hurled it, and the whirling creation flew off as it fully ignited, Flay having turned the two whips into a gigantic bolo, weighted at each end with a sphere, and kept in the air by the increased anti-grav power.

It tore into the dwarves, slicing and igniting them at the same time, rending through their bodies like they weren't there, some falling dead immediately or some trying to flee as the fire engulfed their body.

Flay turned around as the rear guard attacked, but even as it did the whip spun around Flay, as if it was consciously protecting its master, and began ripping and burning its way through that group as well. One dwarf made it through and attacked Flay, but Flay dodged, kicked it in the chest, whirled around the staggering dwarf, and grabbed his head, loudly breaking his neck as he spun away from the body, as the dervish he had created tore through the last few dwarves. All aflame, another dwarf charged at him in a suicide dash: Flay's eyes narrowed, and then in a blur he uncoiled another whip from his form, lashing out and seizing the dwarf as he stomped, his knife shooting from his boot, and then Flay yanked, pulling the dwarf through the air as he slashed out with his foot and sliced the dwarf's throat open. As it hit the ground, Flay wrapped his normal whip around him and turned away, walking over to his fallen plasma whip where it was melting into the ground, pulling it up…as another flaming dwarf stabbed at his back.

The blur of motion was punctuated by a thunderous crack.

The last dwarf fell in pieces, as the flaming hybrid whip whirled back at Flay, the fire going out, and Flay reached up and seized it with his hand, his gloves protecting him from the heat even as he snapped the plasma whip off, and then in one smooth flowing motion, untangled the flame and anti-grav whips, their spheres ends breaking off in a shower of burned metal.

He glanced at his anti-grav whip: damn. It had been pretty badly messed up with that stunt: probably would have fallen to the ground within a few seconds if Flay hadn't grabbed it when he had. He wrapped it around him, even as he turned around again.

The Tall Man stood there, in the doorway, glaring at Flay, as if he couldn't believe that despite all that had happened Flay was still standing.

In a sense. His body was covered with wounds, and every breath caused a sharp pain to shoot through him. The Tall Man could see this as well.

"You play a good game, boy…" The Tall Man said, as the spheres came, from behind him, dozens and dozens still, staying around their master, waiting for their next order. "But the game is over."

Flay glared balefully.

And then he re-ignited his plasma whip, and as it sizzled Flay brought the flame whip handle to the plasma whip handle. With a snapping noise, they locked together. Out came the electric/sonic whip, out came the other plasma whip, all the handles joining, and even as the Tall Man watched Flay yanked a metal tube from his boot and pulled out his last, normal whip, leaving the anti-grav whip coiled around him, as he snapped the tube over the end of the normal whip, the tube sliding in and splitting apart into five deadly barbed and bladed ends, as Flay slammed the handle of that whip into the other four, and in a whirring of marvelous technology, all five merged into one convenient grip.

Flay had just redefined the cat o' nine tails.

Flay cracked his omega hybrid whip, and then gestured at the Tall Man.

"I haven't BEGUN playing."

The Tall Man's face screwed up.

And then the spheres were flying again, determined to cut Flay down.

The feeling, as Flay lashed out, was mutual.

* * *

Wilby had long forgotten where he was, everything lost in the need to run, which is why he found himself stopping as he ran through the latest door.

He was on a bridge above one of the storage rooms, the type used to hold large objects. Which was on the right side of the Hive base. Except Wilby had run so much he was amazed he was still on the right side of the Hive base. Maybe he'd gone in a big circle?

Whatever the case, he couldn't dawdle, as he started across the bridge that spanned the room.

And stopped again in surprise.

What lay below, as mentioned, was mostly large pieces of equipment. Frameworks, generators, and the like. The walkway was just for moving over it: when pieces needed to be removed the drones and students used special anti-grav machines (similar to Flay's whip technology) to lift up the pieces and remove the roof so they could be brought to the trucks and ships that took them to where the actual base was being built. As a result, there wasn't a lot of noise in the room except when they were moving stuff.

And now…there was a lot of noise, as Wilby looked over the edge. His eyes widened in surprise: down near the floor, covering it entirely, were engines, fully assembled and running, powering nothing and seemingly angry about it, as they growled and roared.

Wilby was puzzled: even IF drones had left assembled engines down there, what were they doing on? Without being placed in their proper structure, the engines were dangerous, with numerous ways of grabbing people and sucking them into the clanging gears ala the demonic steam press engine of _The Mangler…_

And Wilby abruptly remembered why he was running, as he glanced down the hallway he had just come from.

Pyramid Head stood there, as if he had decided to take a time out along with Wilby.

Wilby screamed again (which wasn't much: his voice was getting pretty hoarse) and ran…and found out he shouldn't have been paying attention to the engines: the door at the other end was closed.

Stopping and entering the open code didn't work. Nor did entering any of the codes Wilby knew. By then Pyramid Head was approaching again, slowly, dragging his massive knife behind him, steadily eating up the distance between him and Wilby.

Filled with frustrated fury, Wilby stood back and transformed, and then ripped the whole panel off the wall. That didn't do anything. Digging his hand in just gave him a shock his insulated suit only partly blocked. Growling with a faint undertone of sobs, Wilby attacked the door, trying to get leverage to force it open, shockwaves of pain shooting up his arms as he dented the door slightly and then tried to pry it open…

It buzzed loudly and stopped, opened only a crack. Wilby furiously fought with it, but all the strength in the world didn't matter if you couldn't exert the proper leverage on something. In one final burst of fury, Wilby pounded on the door…it gave, a little, but so did Wilby's hands, as he felt several bones crack, the pain so fierce he lost his concentration and returned to his normal form, staring at his bloody hands, who seemed to mock him with his utter lack of fortitude.

Pyramid Head stepped through the doorway, cutting off Wilby's escape route.

Wilby looked down at his lone remaining escape option: jumping. He immediately realized it was pointless: even if he didn't land on an engine (and that was likely, they were everywhere), the fall would break his legs and leave him trapped down there until he bled to death.

He was completely and utterly trapped, as he looked back at Pyramid Head. He whimpered and then curled up in a ball against the doorway, hoping it was quick.

And Pyramid Head slowly continued to approach…

* * *

Nightwalker was aware of a faint recurring booming noise, but he couldn't quite place where it was coming from…

And he didn't get the time, as Leatherface surged from behind him, his snarling chainsaw barely missing Nightwalker's back, as he dodged and flipped away. He fired two shots at Leatherface, but the bastard had his chainsaw back in front of him again and the shots were deflected off it. Jinx threw a hex blast, but Leatherface amazingly dodged it.

"I thought he was retarded!" Jinx yelled.

"That's the original! Remake, who knows!" Nightwalker said, as he looked around the room. Three exits. One somewhat to his left, one more to his left, and one behind him, which if Nightwalker recalled correctly led to the clock tower. But he couldn't see a reason to go that way…

Leatherface gave him one, as he charged once more, stabbing his chainsaw at the teen in black. Nightwalker ducked…and then his luck ran out, as the chainsaw tangled in one of his shoulder 'wingcloths' and seized it, yanking Nightwalker towards Leatherface. Leatherface squealed in demented joy, and while he couldn't actually slice Nightwalker with the chainsaw due to the shoulder cloth jamming his weapon, he could still use it as a bludgeon, and he did, slamming it down on the back of Nightwalker's head and making strange colors appear in his vision as he collapsed at Leatherface's feet. Jinx ran in to help, but Leatherface whacked her with a surprise backhand and she staggered away, as Leatherface pulled at the material entangled in his chainsaw.

He managed to yank it two-thirds of the way out before it started again, shredding what remained as Leatherface tossed the scrap away. With another snarling squeal, he swung up the chainsaw…

Jinx pounced on him, clawing at his eyes and actually biting him on his human skin mask, which succeeded in the plan: distracting Leatherface, as he staggered backwards, and Nightwalker followed through as he expected Jinx wanted him to by doing a twin-kick combo to Leatherface's gut and then shooting him with both gauntlets as Jinx got out of the way, knocking the shrieking lunatic down. Jinx returned to his side, spitting and retching.

"That was a hell of a thing to do."

"I'd expect no less from you, especially considering you seem to attract this shit." Jinx said, spitting once more.

"That's undecided…" Nightwalker replied, and then looked back at Leatherface as he got back up. "What?"

Leatherface charged, and Nightwalker instinctively retreated…and realized Leatherface had cut him off. He'd forced Nightwalker to go the one route the teen knew ended in a dead end, perhaps literally. Had the maniac actually planned for this, or did some dark evil force aid him? Probably the latter, as Nightwalker gestured for Jinx to run for it and the two fled, running through the door that led into the bottom of the clock tower.

Nightwalker noticed that water was running down the walls, a strange thing, but one he could ponder later: Leatherface was on his ass. Jinx started up the stairs, and as she did so Nightwalker turned and emptied what remained of his clips into Leatherface as he came in the doorway after them. It knocked him down, but that just seemed to make him madder, and Nightwalker heard him shriek as the teen started up the stairs after Jinx.

They had made it up two flights and were crossing a small length of floor to the next set when it happened: Jinx stepped too hard on a floorboard overdue to be replaced and it snapped, Jinx screaming as she fell through the floor, much like Nightwalker had before, though with her it was only one leg. Nightwalker hopped over her and turned around.

"Help me!" Jinx said. Nightwalker knelt down.

The roar of the chainsaw sounded, impossibly close, and Nightwalker's head snapped up at the sound. Even with the glass hiding all expression, Jinx could tell he was scared…and she could also sense something else…

Leatherface charged up the stairs, and it seemed indeed a dark evil watched over him: while Jinx's relatively light step had trapped her, Leatherface's heavy stomp did nothing.

Leatherface heard it as he was halfway up the second set.

"NO! NOOOOOOO! YOU BASTARD! **_YOU BASTARD_**!" Jinx screamed as Nightwalker fled, leaving her stuck in the flooring, having finally snapped from it all. He'd left Jinx behind to save his own skin, as Jinx furiously tried to free herself.

The shadow loomed over her.

The chainsaw snarled like a demon from hell.

Jinx looked up, fear-brought tears streaking from her eyes, as Leatherface stood over her, and with a satisfied grunt he thrust the chainsaw up.

Jinx's scream echoed through the whole tower.

* * *

"Arggggggghhhhhhhh!" Gizmo snarled himself. "I am not losing to a crappy program! You got me! I'll die first!"

Not the wisest choice of words, but Gizmo was too mad to notice, as he continued to battle it out against the obstacle that stood between him and an escape from the base.

He never understood how much the deck was stacked against him.

* * *

Thuds continued to ring throughout the room, the door steadily growing more deformed as Uberjason hammered on it, as Buzz Bomb frantically searched in his bee abdomen for medicine of any kind, at Shimmer's insistence of course.

"…cough drops, Pepto Bismol, a copy of Al Snow's last good match, pack of gum, only known nude photo of Halle Berry, last week's newspaper…hey wait I got it, a nine letter word for 'mass killing' that starts with b is bloodshed…"

"KEEP SEARCHING!"

"Oh geez, man, I should be paid more for this! Or even paid at all. WILL YOU STOP THAT BANGING, I CAN'T HEAR MYSELF THINK!" Buzz Bomb yelled at the door.

"No that's just normal for you: means there's nothing there." Mammoth muttered, and Buzz Bomb glared at him and dug around some more. "Ahhhhh, there we are!" He said, extracting a roll of gauze. Shimmer grabbed it and unraveled it a bit before she pressed it to Mammoth's wound.

"Well I'm done see you later…" Buzz Bomb said, getting up and starting to walk away before Shimmer grabbed him and yanked him back down.

"Help me with this!"

"But I hate the sight of blood!"

"Then how have you lasted all evening?"

"…Sudden case of deuteranopia?"

"JUST HELP ME!"

And the door continued to slowly be kicked in.

* * *

The epiphany, like many, was sudden, unexpected and absolute: Wilby realized he was going to die.

Well, he'd had a pretty general idea of that before, but now it fully crystallized in his vision. And he found it no longer scared him, nor did it seem peaceful. Rather, it offended him. Offended him a great deal.

It seemed like everyone was always on his back. Sabotage bullied him and got away with it. Platinum Blonde treated him like her own personal servant. Blood was never happy with how much he could lift or push, he was always furious that one punch from a drone could take Wilby out. And of course, Juryrig hadn't even noticed he'd left him behind, and Mammoth thought of him as nothing more then a hindrance. And now here he was, cowering, waiting for a death that he prayed would be peaceful but he knew wouldn't be, because he'd seen what Pyramid Head had done to Zippy.

And he'd just roll over and take that too.

…TO HELL HE WOULD.

Pyramid Head showed absolutely no change in expression when Wilby got up: he was about 2/3 of the way across the walkway by now and still continued to approach (though one could argue he couldn't show any expression anyway: he did have a huge bloodstained metal pyramid covering his head, after all), dragging his knife, the knife he would use on Wilby…

If Wilby didn't use it on him first, as he concentrated and transformed, returning to his massive strong form. Enough running away. Time to fight!

And fight Wilby did, as he swung out a fist the size of Pyramid Head's whole upper body. It would have caved in a car.

One wouldn't say Pyramid Head didn't budge, but whatever he was made of, it was clearly much much denser then a human body. The blow did stop him, even made him stagger back a step…but that was it.

Pyramid Head almost seemed to cock his head at Wilby, though considering how huge his head covering was tiny motions were pretty hard to catch.

Then he started raising his knife.

Wilby kicked him, again like it was striking a solid wall, as Pyramid Head slowly, slowly lifted his knife, as Wilby kicked him again…and then the knife came slashing down. It grazed Wilby's leg as he retracted it, but the knife was so heavy and sharp it still cut fairly deeply, and Wilby yelled in pain and went down, clutching his knee. The giant blade clanged down on the floor in front of Pyramid Head, and he slowly started to walk forward again, dragging the knife for another strike.

Wilby slammed his hand forward in a palm strike, hitting Pyramid Head dead center. The shock radiated up his arm, and once again Pyramid Head barely budged. It was like he was reflecting Wilby's own blow back at him, as Wilby staggered back, holding his aching arm and then his bleeding leg. Pyramid Head approached, as he started lifting his knife again.

Wilby punched him in the head. That only succeeded in breaking a finger or two, and Wilby recoiled again with a yell, as Pyramid Head brought his knife up…

And slashed down.

Wilby caught it.

The weight of the blade seemed to affect even him, digging into his palm, sending blood shooting out from between his fingers, but for once Wilby tried to ignore the pain, block it out, because he was strong, he had the strength of a thousand men, and if one man had bested this demon then he sure COULD…!

He yanked the knife free from Pyramid Head's hands, and somehow that made the demon stagger, as if he'd lost a part of himself, even as Wilby opened his blood-encrusted hand and transferred the knife to the other one, the huge blade more like a normal sword to the giant, and he knew just what to do with the knife.

He gave it back to Pyramid Head.

Blade first.

Down through his namesake.

The blade bit deep, and within the giant helmet some kind of dark liquid began to ooze, but Wilby wasn't paying attention to that, as he surged forward, grabbing up the monster, holding his shockingly cold body in his hands…

For a moment, he felt a terrible sense of regret.

And then he hurled Pyramid Head off the walkway, down towards the roaring engines.

And one found him. A snarling, ripping, breaking sound tore through the room as Pyramid Head fell onto one, and like a living thing it consumed him, though it destroyed itself in the process.

Rhinoceros Beetle lowered his hurting arms, taking a deep breath and letting it out. He glanced at the ceiling.

"You and me James." Wilby said, referring to the main character of _Silent Hill 2_. "You and me."

And then it hit him all over again, as Wilby remembered something else. About the game Pyramid Head had come from, how he tied into the main character…and how it tied into Wilby's actions.

Pyramid Head did try to kill you, but he also served an important plot function. His function was to make the main character, James Sunderland, realize something. To do this, he committed several foul deeds, deeds you only understood in retrospect, deeds that mirrored the actions of James…

Including the part where James had to…

Wilby whirled away from the balcony.

He never saw the spear as it jabbed out and pierced through his chest.

It was strangely painless, as Wilby's jaw went slack, as he looked at Pyramid Head, the second Pyramid Head, having seemingly come from thin air, from where Wilby had been crouching moments before…and it had come from thin air. Because Wilby had just created him.

Pyramid Head was a creature created to punish, a creature that mirrored what the creator desired. Zippy had, through her cruel treatment, desired to die…and Pyramid Head had granted that wish. But Wilby had shed no blood. He hadn't even thrown a punch at anything beforehand. If anything, he had helped poor Floral go onto her rest.

And Wilby realized that he hadn't just been fleeing in terror, running like a coward. He had been trusting his gut, the subconscious process that told him he wasn't supposed to fight Pyramid Head. He was supposed to run, supposed to escape…and Wilby knew, somehow, that if he chosen to do nothing, had he remained cowering on the floor, Pyramid Head would have stopped before him, perhaps observed him a bit, and then turned and walked away, no reason given for its purpose.

Until Wilby had had his epiphany, and given Pyramid Head a reason to strike him down. Murder.

Just like how the first Pyramid Head had been the representation of a murder James had done. And just like how a second had emerged when James in the course of the game had been forced to kill someone else.

And how Pyramid Head only truly died when you accepted this fact, instead of battling them in a metaphor of denying it.

His epiphany had been false. He'd been perfectly, and cruelly tricked.

And it had killed him.

The spear was removed, and Wilby collapsed, his body shrinking back to normal. He was struck once more on how there was no pain, just a terrible coldness.

What had tricked him? What had forced the thoughts into his head that he should have fought back? What had lured him to his death?

Horror films had characters acting stupid: they rarely had them tricked into doing it…

And as the darkness began to crawl into his vision, Wilby had another realization.

It _was_ growing stronger.

It had been let back into the world, and the longer it remained, the stronger it grew. To the point where it could not just send out agents of deaths, and not just suggest the actions of those they sought out…but deliberately lead them into their clutches.

And as Wilby's vision grew ever darker, out of the corner of his eye he saw Pyramid Head standing nearby, setting his spear on the ground. His purpose was done, the sins were punished, and now it had only one course left.

Self-destruction, as it impaled its body on its own spear. It shuddered and then went still.

Wilby's last thoughts were pity for what remained of the Hive…and the world, if this curse could not be contained here. After all, the darkness of movies was fleeting and fake. The darkness of life was nearly infinite.

Wilby's death rattle escaped him, as blood slowly began to pool around his body, even as Pyramid Head faded away, his part in the drama over.

And the darkness in the room almost seemed to shift, flowing away, the engines shutting off, as the darkness flowed to the door and left, leaving Wilby's body behind.

* * *

It can be so easy to decide what to do based on looks, as Leatherface's chainsaw swung up.

Jinx screamed in terror.

The chainsaw came down.

And the scream abruptly cut off.

"Sucker." Jinx said,

She pulled her leg from the floor, her trapped position revealed to be herself holding in the hole, as she dove to the side, barely avoiding the chainsaw. Nightwalker hadn't run and left her to die. He'd pulled her free and then suggested that maybe she could act like she was still trapped. Jinx had agreed and done a marvelous job.

Looks can be deceiving.

The chainsaw bit into the floor, spewing sawdust, and Jinx hurled a hex blast into the spray, causing it to spray up even higher and into Leatherface's face, the maniac recoiling as the wood dust burned his eyes, and then Jinx kicked him in the side of the knee as hard as she could, causing Leatherface to stumble, but he still had hold of his chainsaw, yanking it free, still whirling, and Jinx was in a very small space, easy prey…and refusing to be so, as she kicked Leatherface in the knee again and then leapt up and kicked him in the face, making him lose his balance and crash against the banister, his chainsaw over the edge.

As Nightwalker leapt from a higher stairwell, bounced off another, and came down with a vicious downward kick, his foot slamming against the chainsaw body as Leatherface began lifting it again, and with a clear snapping noise of fingers breaking the chainsaw was wrenched from Leatherface's hand, tumbling down to the bottom of the stairs, as Leatherface squealed in pain, even as Nightwalker, in an amazing bit of balance, landed on the railing that Leatherface's arm had dangled over and with a quick step and leap he had positioned himself behind him, where he fell to the floor…

(With a loud cracking sound that he registered at the end of his thoughts…)

And kicked Leatherface in the back of his knees. The knees began to buckle, even as Jinx swung back and slammed her whole arm against Leatherface's throat, and the lunatic went down…

(Another crack…)

As Nightwalker swung up, leapt up, and brought his knee down on Leatherface's face. He heard something else break, though he couldn't tell what.

And then the cracking sound grew much larger, and Nightwalker and Jinx looked at each other as they finally realized what the stairwell was trying to tell them: they shouldn't have fought on it. And now it was giving up the ghost.

Jinx ran backwards even as Nightwalker leapt forward, as the floor gave out from under them and the whole section behind them broke off and crashed to the ground, taking Leatherface with it.

And the two crashed into each other and fell down, Nightwalker once again on top of Jinx.

"We have to stop meeting like this." Nightwalker said.

"Yeah." Jinx replied, a bit more breathy then she'd like, as Nightwalker got off her and she sat up.

And screamed. A hand was hanging onto the side, a hand that was joined by another and then a face, as Leatherface began pulling himself up from where he'd grabbed the edge, blood pouring from the mouth of his mask.

"Doesn't seem to care for giving up does he?" Nightwalker said, as Leatherface yanked his upper body onto the landing. Jinx started for him and was pulled back to her surprise. "No, this area's too unstable. Let's go up to the clock tower: we can finish him off in there."

Jinx realized the intelligence of the decision and nodded, and the two headed up the stairs, even as Leatherface fully pulled himself up and stood up. He mewled in sorrow, looking down the one and a half stories where his chainsaw lay under a small pile of rubble. If he went down to get it, he'd never get back to the meat. But how, as he started forward, pulling himself up the stairs, could he get the meat without something to cut it with or…

It clattered at his feet. Leatherface looked down.

The meat was tough, but he had friends. He would make sure his family got a great meal, even if they weren't here now…

Nightwalker saw where the water was coming from: the whole top of the clock tower was partially flooded, water coming from everywhere, including blowing in from a hole in the wall (where had that come from?) and leaking through the badly cracked clock face. The water was due to the storm that still raged outside and the fact that Mammoth's blow that had 'dealt' with Uberjason had rattled open all the plugs and fixed parts that Brother Blood had had students install earlier. Of course, the only reason it was wet at all was because Gizmo had shut down the shield and let the rain in, not that Nightwalker knew that.

Nightwalker looked around a few seconds, and then conveyed the plan he had concocted with a few gestures. Jinx understood, and as Nightwalker slipped away into the darkness she stepped in front of the ladder. When Leatherface emerged, she would distract him and lure him in, and then Nightwalker would jump him from behind, and they'd take care of him.

She heard the ladder creak. He was coming up. Good. She'd meet him with pain when he arrived.

Never realizing he had the exact same plan for her, as a figure started to loom over the top…

And then the sledgehammer flew forward, Jinx's eyes going wide before it caught her in the forehead. Leatherface began yanking himself up: the angle hadn't been good enough for him to do any serious damage but he'd knocked her for a loop, as he pulled himself onto the floor and stood up, Jinx lying dazed as he reached down for the sledgehammer, the weapon Jinx had never expected, and neither had Nightwalker from where he stood on the other side of the hole, shocked. Where had he gotten that sledgehammer? Had he just pulled it out of his ass?

Never knowing that there was all kinds of equipment lying around the clock tower, equipment that Shimmer had found herself. Who's to say that there wasn't another sledgehammer lying around, one that someone had made sure fell into the wrong hands…

Nightwalker didn't bother pondering, as he jumped up on the ledge and leapt over the hole that led down through the middle of the floor, the barrier ledge surrounding it, as he landed on Leatherface's back, trying to keep him away from Jinx. Leatherface struggled furiously as Nightwalker pounded on him, even shooting an orb into his shoulder, but this time Leatherface had the advantage as he leaned down, scooped up his sledgehammer, and brought it up into Nightwalker's face, the blow glancing off his helmet but still knocking him off the maniac, and as he crashed to the floor, Leatherface turned back to Jinx, who was rising, her eyes still a bit dazed…

"JINX!" Nightwalker screamed.

Leatherface swung the sledgehammer.

Jinx still had enough sense to dodge backwards, but not enough, as the sledgehammer slammed into her arms and sent her stumbling…

"JINX!"

The clock face, weakened, shattered when Jinx slammed into it, her momentum carrying her backwards into the open air, as a scream tore from her throat…

And then she fell.

"NO!" Nightwalker screamed as he flipped up…and went right into a swinging roundhouse blow from Leatherface. He also dodged it, but got shoved back enough to crash into the wooden barrier that surrounded the hole, the wood cracking dangerously as Leatherface turned away from him and headed for the shattered clock face.

Where Jinx hung, holding onto the edge for dear life, trying to ignore the bits of glass digging into her fingers or the rain now soaking her form, as she looked up, hoping against hope it was Nightwalker…

And screaming when she saw it was Leatherface, as he contemplated her for a bit and then raised the sledgehammer. He could pick up her remains later…

Nightwalker rammed into Leatherface from behind with a jumping knee lift, trying to knock Leatherface right out the window after Jinx, but luck was not on his side: instead of going straight out Leatherface went to the left as he went forward…and slammed into the metal framework that held up the clock arms and mechanisms. The impact finally finished Mammoth's job, as the whole clock tower face disintegrated and the mechanism flew apart, gears and the arms tumbling past Jinx, glass raining down around her as well…

A large piece sliced open her shoulder, and her fingers lost their grip, and she fell, screaming…

And grabbing onto a snarl of chains that had come out of the shattered clock mechanism, chains that now dangled into thin air and gave Jinx something to hold onto, barely, as she slipped down a bit before stopping, her fingers turning white as she tried to hold on.

"Help! Help!" She cried, even as Nightwalker spun Leatherface around, rammed a powerful punch into his gut, and as he started doubling over grabbing him and flipping him over his body, slamming the cannibal into the ground as Nightwalker flipped back over Leatherface, slamming his knees into his chest before he reared up and slammed both fists into Leatherface's face, now slick with blood.

"NOW STAY DOWN!" Nightwalker said, and became aware of Jinx's cries as he pushed off Leatherface and ran over to the edge. "Llarenes!"

"Nightwalker help me!"

"I gotcha!" Nightwalker said, getting down on his stomach and stretching out. Jinx reached for him, and then she slipped farther down the chains with a shriek, the rain soaking the metal links and making them slippery.

"Don't panic Jinx! Just climb up a bit and take my hand!" Nightwalker said, reaching out further. Shivering, Jinx tried to climb the chains, ignoring her pain, her fear…and she did it, hauling herself up twice to put herself in reach of Nightwalker's hand. He reached out.

Their fingers touched…

And then intertwined, as Nightwalker seized her hand and started to pull Jinx up, as she looked relieved…

And then screamed again.

The sledgehammer slammed into the back of Nightwalker's head, knocking him flat on his stomach and chest, his grip slipping from Jinx as she lost it and slid back down the chains, and even as Nightwalker tried to get back up Leatherface brought the wooden handle of the sledgehammer around his head and clenched it against his throat, yanking Nightwalker back as he futilely tried to reach Jinx, Leatherface choking the life out of him as he hauled him away from Jinx's vision.

As she slipped again, sliding down the chains, stopping near the last fifth of the length, spinning in the air, as she screamed again, trying to hold on, but the chains were so slick…

Nightwalker furiously fought with Leatherface as he yanked him around, despite the screaming pressure in his lungs and the horrific grip around his neck, feeling his muscles start to hyperextend in the prelude of his neck being snapped, and he fought and clawed and tried to shoot Leatherface but he couldn't get the right angle for any blow on any part of his body…

The answer was so simple that when it occurred to him he nearly shot himself afterward, as he reared up and stomped as hard as he could on Leatherface's foot.

That loosened the grip, just enough, for Nightwalker to elbow Leatherface in the side, then slammed his helmet into his face, as he broke out of the sledgehammer choke and whirled around…

And the scream filled his ears, long and drawn out, and even as Nightwalker's heart seized up as he realized what it was his body continued what it had been ordered to do, kneeing Leatherface in the balls.

"JINX!" Nightwalker said, even as he leapt up and roundhoused Leatherface across his face in the final phase of his 'autopilot', the killer stumbling away as Nightwalker ran for the edge.

Gone.

Jinx was gone.

There was no sign of her below, but Nightwalker knew she couldn't teleport. He'd been too late, and Jinx had paid the price.

No…he'd been delayed.

His fist clenched as hard as he could, even as he turned around to face the rising Leatherface, the killer that hadn't even needed his chainsaw to do the job.

"…What is it with you?" Nightwalker growled. "You seek me out? You want me? You want my blood? You want my skin?"

Leatherface squealed as he brought the sledgehammer back up.

Nightwalker was up close and pounding on his face before Leatherface knew what was going on, the blitzkrieg staggering him.

"HERE'S MY SKIN! HAVE IT! HAVE A GOOD LONG TASTE!" Nightwalker screamed as he slammed blow after blow into Leatherface's mouth. Leatherface finally tried to grab Nightwalker again, but the teen did a full split and punched Leatherface in the gut, then rolled backwards, leapt up, ejecting his clips in mid-air, and slamming new ones in and aiming as Leatherface looked at him.

The orbs barraged him, driving him back, making him drop the sledgehammer as they bit into his form, fresh blood, his blood, springing up, as Nightwalker fired until he ran out of ammo. He walked forward, ejecting the clips as he scooped up the sledgehammer, Leatherface putting down his arms to be able to see after Nightwalker's barrage…

Nightwalker slammed the sledgehammer across his face, a spray of blood and broken teeth coming from the blow, even as Nightwalker brought the hammer back, reared it up, and slammed the wooden handle down across his knee, breaking it. He stepped up, kicking Leatherface in the gut, then backhanding him across the face, then side kicking him in the shoulder, then roundhouse kicking him across the face, attacking too fast for Leatherface to interrupt, as the maniac staggered backwards…

He bumped up against the barricade around the hole, and perhaps understanding what was happening, finally, he shoved off it with a violent, inhuman shriek.

"Go back to the land of fucking make believe." Nightwalker snapped.

And he leapt, spun, and smashed his foot right between Leatherface's eyes, sending the psycho cannibal stumbling back again and crashing through the barricade, tumbling down into the stairwell, a long wailing shriek cutting off as Leatherface smashed and crashed against the stairways on the way down, ending with one final crash, and then dead silence.

Nightwalker lowered his arms as the rain poured in through the massive hole behind him, the wind causing what was left of his shoulder-wings to dance in the wind.

He turned and walked back to the shattered clock face, looking down as if doing so might cause Jinx to miraculously reappear. But she didn't. Nightwalker pressed a button on his helmet and zoomed in, trying to see any sign of her.

Only a flash of lightning allowed him to see it: a hole in the roof, the inside too dark with shadows to see.

And blood on the roof around the hole.

She was gone. As tough as she was, even she couldn't have survived the fall.

"…I'm sorry Llarenes." Nightwalker said, as he turned and walked away.

He never even noticed the rain suddenly vanishing, as if someone had flicked a switch.

* * *

Gizmo stared at the computer screen for a long moment, then lowered his head in disbelief. 

He'd lost. The computer had kicked him out, locked him out, and reversed the changes he had made. He'd been beaten by a machine. Not to mention that meant he and his friends were locked in here until the power ran out, which wouldn't be for hours. Considering their situation, it could very well be days.

Gizmo had his own way of speaking and insulting, but at the moment he recalled a quote from somewhere: 'If you're going to express an ambiguous, ugly brutal feeling, sometimes it is necessary to use ambiguous, ugly brutal language'.

Gizmo felt that way.

"Shit." He said.

He stared at the computer a few more seconds, and then snapped it closed and tossed it on the floor. It was useless to him now, as he stood up, stretched his legs, and began pondering what his next course of action should be.

And then he heard them, a strange series of repeating noises off in the distance. He cocked his head, trying to figure them out. Sounding like repeated thuds.

His hands blurred, and Gizmo was suddenly holding another large gun. He may have already exhausted his best, but he still had a lot of firepower at his disposal.

Pity the creature that found him first.

* * *

The trip down the clock tower was slow going, due to the now rather delicate nature of the stairs. Nightwalker made the trip carefully, not wanting to fall and break an ankle. That was the last thing he needed.

Leatherface's body lay at the bottom, covered with some wood. Nightwalker hopped down next to him, debating whether or not to spit on the body, decided it was pointless, and turned and started walking.

And stopped.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

It wasn't over.

As Leatherface rose from where he lay, pieces of wood falling off him, as he reached down and pulled his chainsaw from beneath the wreckage, and despite his injuries, he somehow still stood, as he yanked on the chainsaw and restarted it with another roaring snarl.

Nightwalker turned around. For some reason, he was not surprised.

"All right then." He said. "Let's finish this."

Leatherface charged, as if he didn't feel his wounds, as if all he felt was the need to make Nightwalker feel the buzz.

* * *

"All right we're done! Let's get him out of here!" Shimmer said, as she tried to lift her brother.

"Hey! That wasn't in my contract either!" Buzz Bomb said.

And the door finally came smashing down. Buzz Bomb screamed and left Shimmer as he ran for the door, trying to get it to open, as Shimmer yelled at him and tried to drag her brother by herself. Mammoth helped, but it was minimal, as Uberjason started across the room after them.

* * *

The chainsaw dug into the metal floor, sparks flying as Nightwalker flipped backwards and shot Leatherface in the shoulder. Leatherface squealed, as he always did, blood flying from his mouth, but he shrugged off the blow and kept after Nightwalker, trying to shove his chainsaw into his face and forcing Nightwalker to retreat again. The chainsaw swung through the air, and Nightwalker ducked under it and kneed Leatherface in the stomach, then elbowed him in the head, then danced back as the chainsaw swung at him again, nipping his chest and taking a bit of armor with it. He leapt backwards to avoid the next slash and realized he had leapt through a door and was now in a hallway. He glanced behind himself for some reason, and then jerked back as Leatherface charged at him.

Nightwalker shot him in the knee, and as he fell he kicked him across the face. But Leatherface, as usual, didn't stay down long, and he was up and swinging again, forcing Nightwalker back.

* * *

"Ah! Let me out! Let me out! I don't have time for the secret knock!" Buzz Bomb said, pounding and clawing at the door.

"Buzz! Come help me! I can melt the door! Just help me move Baran!" Shimmer yelled.

"Oh right!" Buzz Bomb said, as he flew over to Mammoth…and then Uberjason's shadow fell over him. "OH WRONG!" He yelled, fleeing back to the door.

"BUZZ BOMB!" Shimmer said, as she dragged her brother another step…and then looked behind her.

Uberjason was almost on her, and he was clearly moving faster then her.

And for some reason, she stopped, dropped Mammoth, and stood up before Uberjason, holding up her hands.

"STOP!" She yelled.

Uberjason stopped.

Buzz Bomb's eyes nearly bugged out through his helmet.

"…Go away!" She said.

"If this works, I will eat my next bomb." Buzz Bomb said.

Then the door slid open.

And Uberjason apparently decided that whatever Shimmer was trying wasn't going to harm him, as he took another step forward and raised his machete. Shimmer screamed and threw herself over Mammoth's form.

And the rail driver slammed into Uberjason's chest, throwing him across the room and pinning him to the wall.

"For the sake of crud, didn't I KILL YOU?" Gizmo snapped, as he pulled out a miniature length of metal and inserted it into the setup he had for his gun, as the length of metal first enlarged from a shrinking/expanding ray and then was seized by the magnetic field as Gizmo charged up the gun, aimed, and fired again, another rail driver piercing through Uberjason.

"Gizmo! It's good to see you!" Buzz Bomb said. "At least you'll be here when I unleash my ultimate revenge!" He quickly added.

"What?" Gizmo said.

"Nothing nothing!"

"You said something about revenge?"

"Um…yes?"

"You mean on the Titans right?"

"Yes yes the Titans!" Buzz Bomb said. "For starters." He added in a whisper, one Gizmo didn't hear as he walked up to Shimmer and Mammoth.

"Mikron!" Shimmer said. Gizmo grimaced.

"Never thought…you'd still be alive…I thought the annoying ones…died first in horror films." Mammoth sputtered.

"How do you explain him then?" Gizmo said, pointing to Buzz Bomb. Buzz Bomb protested, but Gizmo was already ignoring him. "These wounds are bad. Can you walk Mammoth?"

"Enough."

"There's a med station nearby. I'll take you…"

"Problem!" Buzz Bomb yelled, and Gizmo looked up.

As Uberjason yanked the final rail driver shot from his body, and then, eyes burning with fury, he once again began to advance.

* * *

The chainsaw missed his head by an inch, and Nightwalker had to slam Leatherface's arm up to get it away from him before he fired three solid punches into Leatherface's chest, his hand coming away slick with blood as he dodged away, the chainsaw slicing into the wall on his left with another spark eruption.

Leatherface kept coming, making that inhuman squeal. Despite all he'd been through, Nightwalker couldn't help but pity the creature. He was human only in the most rudimentary of senses, more like a creature of vicious impulse and manipulative cruelty, a monster but not one at his core. In his own way, he was a victim.

That wouldn't raise any mercy within him though, as Leatherface swung his chainsaw up and slashed it down at Nightwalker.

Nightwalker didn't flee this time: he ran in and grabbed the chainsaw by the body, stopping the downward slash, all his muscles clenching up as he took the brunt of Leatherface's ruthless strength. But it was a strength lessened by brutal injuries, while Nightwalker's was fuelled by cold rage, as the two fought over the chainsaw, the blade snarling between them, Leatherface shrieking at Nightwalker while Nightwalker's impassive face stared back…

There was an inscription upon the blade, Nightwalker realized, now that he was so close. THE SAW IS FAMILY.

And Nightwalker knew all too well the burden of family. A blessing…a curse…with BITE!

Nightwalker shoved with all his might, and the blade plunged into Leatherface's torso, tearing into his flesh, drawing the loudest shriek yet from the maniac, as he stumbled back, pulling the chainsaw from the gushing wound, blood pouring down from the diagonal gore that ran from the upper right part of his chest to the upper left part of his stomach, blood spraying from the still whirling blade, even as Nightwalker danced back, his hand going to his belt…

And still fueled by his own insane rage, Leatherface raised the chainsaw and charged once more, swinging down at Nightwalker.

Nightwalker dodged to the side, and as the chainsaw swung down he dodged in again, left hand reaching out, and then he actually seized Leatherface's wound and yanked it open, a horrifying squeal coming from the psycho as Nightwalker raised his other hand and pressed the short timer button on his detonator.

"Feel the BANG!" Nightwalker snapped, and shoved the detonator into the wound.

The chainsaw swung back up, as Nightwalker flipped away, turned, and dove on the floor, as Leatherface raised his weapon and screamed to the heavens…

And exploded, his body disintegrating into a shower of gore and viscera that sprayed all over the hallway and all over Nightwalker. His chainsaw clattered to the ground, sputtering out.

Slowly, Nightwalker rose up, looking back at where Leatherface had been and then looking utterly disgusted at the mess that covered him, shaking his arms and head in an attempt to get it off.

"I HATE blood." Nightwalker muttered, as he sloughed off what he could of the gore.

And realized something.

The chainsaw was still there.

Nightwalker stared at it.

The chainsaw remained there.

That might not be so surprising, except Nightwalker remembered what had happened to the Nemesis. When he was dead, he vanished, every part of him.

Yet Leatherface's chainsaw remained.

Nightwalker continued to stare.

It continued to stay on the ground, as if taunting him.

And Nightwalker came to realize what Wilby had and Gizmo suspected.

It was getting stronger.

No wonder a human like Leatherface could endure so much.

The person in charge wanted him too.

And then, off in the distance, Nightwalker heard the noise.

Another battle.

And Nightwalker found his bloodthirst wasn't quite slaked.

Nightwalker walked forward, grabbing up the chainsaw as he did so. If they wanted to hang around…

He pulled the cord. It roared to life.

Then he'd use it to hang them all.

* * *

Uberjason had taken approximately five steps when the third rail driver slammed into his body and pinned him to the wall again.

"How many of those do you have?" Buzz Bomb asked.

"One more on me, one stuck in my boot for emergencies. Plus a fair amount of other ammo: maybe if we're lucky it'll do him in!"

"Oh please! I boomed him three times! You know what that did? NADA." Buzz Bomb complained.

"SHUT UP AND HELP ME CRAPFACE!" Gizmo snapped, and Buzz Bomb yelped and began firing lasers at the prone Uberjason, who was trying to get the third rail driver out of him. "Shimmer, get Mammoth to the medical center. Lock yourself in. If I don't come back in fifteen minutes, stay there. We can't get out of the base."

"Why not?"

"Because it cheated!" Gizmo snapped cryptically, as Uberjason yanked out the third rail driver. He started coming forward again.

The forth went low and knocked him on the ground rather then back, as Shimmer began helping her brother out the door. Gizmo cursed as Uberjason started getting up again, as Buzz Bomb landed next to him.

"Hey Gizmo, I have an idea! Remember that force field you used on me last April Fools? The one even Wilby couldn't break through?"

"Yeah."

"Do you have it?"

"Yes. I did." Gizmo said, and pointed at Uberjason. "HE broke it."

"…Running time!" Buzz Bomb said, as he turned and flew away.

"HEY! YOU CRUDDIN SHIT! COME BACK YOU…ARGH!" Gizmo cursed as Buzz Bomb flew past Shimmer and Mammoth and disappeared down the hallway. "Baran! Selinda! Keep going! I'll handle Ugly here! I hope…" Gizmo said, as his rail gun began to convert into another weapon: Gizmo didn't have the time to open up his boot before Uberjason reached him. The gun having transformed into twin laser weapons, Gizmo opened fire on Uberjason with a barrage of hot plasma blasts, even as his backpack shifted behind him.

Uberjason continued to approach.

A storm of mini missiles flew from the backpack and slammed into Uberjason, and then a large cannon extracted from the apparatus, aimed, and fired another gigantic energy blast, the shockwave of which knocked Gizmo on his rear. He scrambled up, glancing behind him. Mammoth and Shimmer were gone: good. Now if only…

Uberjason walked out, shot to shit once more and ignoring it as he always did. Gizmo's heart sank. No matter what he did, Uberjason just kept coming. What was it with horror villains? What would work? Overwhelming firepower didn't work, giant explosions didn't work, electricity didn't work, what was needed? Something symbolic?

The orb slammed into Uberjason's head. Gizmo arched an eyebrow.

Uberjason turned to see the source of the attack, and then the snarling roar sounded up as the smoke cleared.

"You again." Nightwalker said. "Well I've already avenged Jinx. May as well start on what you did to Zippy." Nightwalker said, and lifted the roaring chainsaw. "Remember what Tommy did to you? You'll wish he was me."

* * *

"Selinda…" Mammoth whispered, as Shimmer dragged her brother down the hallway.

"Just hang on Baran, I know first aid, I can patch you up…"

"Leave me…"

"No!"

"I said I'd get you out…one way or another…I'll just slow you down…"

"Baran, shut up." Shimmer said as she dragged her brother into a room of some sort. "We're both getting out. We always made the most important decisions together. And that's the way it's going to be for a very…long…time…" Shimmer trailed off as she saw who was standing in the doorway.

Her heart went cold. She knew who that was. Knew his white mask.

He stood there, looking at them. He'd observed long enough. Time to kill.

After all, it wouldn't be Halloween without him.

Shimmer looked in sheer terror on the face of Michael Myers.

And the piano music began to play…


	11. Extinction

Part 11: Extinction

Patience is a virtue.

Though when one is applying the phrase to an incarnation of evil, perhaps one should wonder if it is really appropriate.

Schematics of the saying aside, nothing was more important then patience. Michael knew that. His first victim, his sister, he'd gotten her by surprise, but after all that, it had been waiting. Waiting for the right time to leave the asylum. Waiting for the right time to seek what he needed. Waiting for the right time to spill blood.

And in this case, it was even more important.

Last time had been bad. His first chosen victim had been snatched away from him, and while he had managed to pierce the heart of the one who had stolen her, it had only been because the child had believed himself invulnerable to Michael's blade and had stood there, waiting for him, not because Myers had hunted him down. Cutting into him had been deeply satisfying, but it was a satisfaction swiftly denied Myers, as others had arrived, others with great strength…that was all Myers remembered, except for what had happened afterward had not been favorable to him.

And now he had returned.

But this time he would follow his old ways. He would be patient. He would watch and observe, and wait. He would pick his moment where he would be strongest and his victims would be at their weakest.

There were others here, including a kindred soul (or maybe kindred demon would be more appropriate) Myers had met face to face. But they had ignored each other in pursuit of their greater goal: death. The masked one walked off, choosing to be relentless. And Myers watched, and waited…

And he knew it was time to act. Somehow, he knew. It was his time, on his night (semantics aside), and he would show them why all who knew him feared him.

He was Michael Myers.

And he began his approach.

* * *

"Oh god…" Shimmer whispered, as Myers began to walk towards her. Her gut felt like someone had poured liquid coolant like the kind in the barrels Rhinoceros Beetle had moved down her throat, as she watched him come for her.

And then fresh adrenaline flooded her system, and she turned and began running away, though running was a very strong term as she was still mostly dragging her very heavy brother, as Myers slowly and calmly approached them, one hand clutching a long knife, a knife that had been denied blood too long.

Mammoth saw him too, from the corner of his vision…and he knew what he had to do.

"Run…Selinda…" He whispered.

"I'm not leaving you!" Shimmer said, trying so hard to put distance between herself and Myers as she headed for the nearest door, but he was so heavy…

Mammoth closed his eyes. He'd always said only wimps cried.

He'd been a fool.

"Selinda…just know…I did this…for you…"

And Mammoth found one final surge of strength as he slipped his hand behind Shimmer's back and shoved her forward, sending her in front of him in a rapid fire stumble, and as she collapsed on the other side of the door Mammoth willed strength into his numb legs and took the two steps needed to get to the door keypad.

"BARAN!" Shimmer said, as she turned around from where she lay, tears in her eyes.

"Run."

And Mammoth smashed the pad, and the door slammed shut.

Mammoth drew in a long breath through his nose, let it out, and coughed up a bit more blood as he turned around to face Myers, who had not deviated from his slow pursuit of the siblings.

Mammoth clenched his fist, feeling his knuckles pop.

"All right then Shatner! Get ready to be beamed up!" Mammoth roared, as he charged at Myers.

Shimmer pounded on the door, crying Baran's name…and then realized that despite closing said door, that didn't stop her. She was a matter transmuter. A steel door meant about as much to her as a foot high fence.

…But Baran had clearly told her to run. Should she not honor his last wish…?

No! Her was her brother! Shimmer slammed her palms on the door and concentrated.

As Mammoth slammed into Myers, knocking him down, and Mammoth began pounding on his head and chest, using every bit of strength he had left.

He felt the deep burning sensation as the knife plunged into his gut, but he ignored it, trying to pound Myers' head into jelly.

The knife sank in again.

"HAH! Is that the best you can do!"

The door began to dissolve away as Shimmer transmuted it into sand…

"You should have stuck…with Curtis!" Mammoth snarled, blood spraying from his lips, even as the blade pulled out of him a third time, even as he delivered another thunderous punch to Myers' head, and drew back to give another…

The knife pierced his hand, and that finally gave Mammoth paused as he bellowed in pain, and even as he did Myers yanked himself from beneath Mammoth's grip, getting up with a scary amount of grace…

"BARAN!"

The scream was the last thing Mammoth wanted to hear, and his head darted back to where his sister stood, in the ruins of the door, and he realized that what he hoped hadn't come to pass. She'd cared too much, worried too much, tried too much…she was back in danger…

And that was the last thought he had, as he began turning back around to Myers and had his throat slit from ear to ear with one swift slash.

"…Seli…" Was all Mammoth could gurgle before he collapsed, blood pooling around his head.

And Shimmer stood there, frozen to the spot, as the same realization that had occurred to Mammoth came to her. He'd pushed her away to try and save her, and instead she'd turned around…and she'd gotten him killed.

Her brother was dead…and she'd made his sacrifice be in vain, as she was no longer protected from Myers.

It was that realization, more then anything, that sent her turning and screaming away, wailing in fear, in agony, in despair, in all the things that such events breed in people.

Myers, blood dripping from the nose and mouth of his mask, wiped his knife on the back of Mammoth's outfit and set off after Shimmer.

He'd get her.

He just had to be patient.

* * *

The room was silent.

And then the door exploded off its hinges as Flay smashed through it, bouncing off the ground and coming to a stop. He lay there, gasping, feeling like every bone in his body was broken. Hell, it probably should have been. But the door he had gone through had previously been the victim of a golden sphere laser blast, severely weakening it, just enough so that Flay went through it instead of flattened against it, though that fortune sure didn't feel like it.

His whole body screamed with pain. His new omega cat o' nine tails whip (and it was amazing he hadn't sliced off a limb or set himself on fire when he'd been thrown through the door, but then again, he knew his weapons like they were a part of himself) had proven highly effective against the sphere army, but they just KEPT coming, and despite all his efforts they'd sliced and diced several new wounds in him before Flay had gone for all the marbles. He turned a leaping dodge into a sideways lunge and had gone for the Tall Man, reasoning that if he cut off the head the body would die.

Except he hadn't reached the Tall Man. The demonic undertaker had just slightly raised a hand, and Flay had stopped in mid air. At which point Flay had been forced to spin around and take out the next wave of spheres before they ripped his back apart, and when he had turned back around the Tall Man was there, grabbing his throat, lifting him up and throwing him through the air like he weighed nothing, hence his aforementioned trip through the door.

He was getting up, despite all the pain

"Boy…" Came the raspy voice, and the Tall Man slowly walked through the door. "Have you not tired of stubbornly clinging to this coil of life?"

"Only one I know." Flay said, and made a 'come hither' gesture.

The spheres came, as they always did, led by twin golden spheres that fired their lasers. Flay leapt through the air, the ground exploding around him, spinning and slashing out, his whips flying through the air and slicing, shattering, striking, and sizzling into the spheres, cutting a wide swath through them before Flay fell to the ground and did a semi-breakdance spin to get back to his feet, whirling his whips around him in a field of death…

As a sphere flew up and came down at a nearly perfect downward angle, digging into the top of Flay's shoulder, and he snarled in pain and clawed at the sphere, trying to get his fingers under it and yank it free before the drill came into play. He managed, but even as he did a new wave attacked him, and Flay was forced to do gymnastics away, though it was clear he was slowing down. He landed and lashed his cat o' nine tails around again…

And an armsaw sphere flew it, the blade clipping the left side of his forehead and triggering another flow of blood, the liquid running into his eye and causing it to sting as Flay growled again and smacked the armsaw sphere from the air, taking eight of its brothers with it. But still, more came.

And the Tall Man watched. Much like Michael, he knew the value of patience.

* * *

And there are some guys who just move right into fucking one's shit up.

As Gizmo spiraled across the room, flying via his jetpack as the energy cannon shot up again and fired four swift blasts into Uberjason's body, blasts that Gizmo followed up with another barrage of miniature missiles. As explosions once more consumed Jason, Gizmo landed and brought up his reformed once again main gun, and intense fire spewed from the barrel, enveloping Uberjason in flames.

Flames he started walking against. Gizmo's eyes widened, and he held the pressure, but Jason kept coming, walking against the stream, and the gun was growing dangerously hot…

Gizmo shut off the flamethrower and tried to switch to another mode.

And Uberjason was there, swinging with his machete…

The orb slammed into it and deflected it away, and as Gizmo scrambled backwards several more slammed into Uberjason's face, causing him to recoil.

Nightwalker leapt in close and swung the chainsaw, the whirring blade digging deep into Uberjason's side (apparently his flame bath had softened the 'plastic'), chunks of synthetic and rotting dead flesh spraying from the wound, and then Nightwalker yanked it free, dodged a counter machete slice, and then thrust up his chainsaw into Uberjason's face, gorging a line across his mask in a shower of sparks. Uberjason recoiled again, and Nightwalker swung back the chainsaw and slashed it in again.

Uberjason's machete intercepted it, another storm of sparks flying from the interlocked blades as the two matched strength, the teeth of the chainsaw screaming against the metal machete as the door glared at each other.

And then Uberjason shoved, sending Nightwalker flying and sprawling on his ass like it was no big deal, the chainsaw's body landing on his chest and knocking the wind out of him, and as he coughed violently Uberjason swung the machete up.

As it morphed into a morning star, a long length of chain with a spiked ball at its end, a spiked ball Uberjason swung down towards Nightwalker, who yelled and rolled away, barely avoiding the crushing sphere, but even as he dodged it Uberjason pulled the morning star back as it morphed again.

Nightwalker got up, turning back to Uberjason with his weapon…

As Uberjason stabbed forward, and the trident he had formed sliced across the air, stabbing at Nightwalker, and Nightwalker yelled as the points slammed into him, the chainsaw blade blocking the attack but not enough as one point went into his shoulder and another just above his left lung. Nightwalker staggered and fell again, as the extending trident flowed back to Uberjason and reformed into his demonic machete. The weapon was now truly his.

It cheesed Gizmo off, knowing that he'd give Uberjason that weapon, having been quite shocked when he saw the weapon morph and realized it was his metalliplastic blade, thought broken and revealed to not be so. But Gizmo had a good way of releasing his anger, as he zoomed above the slasher.

"Hey ugly!"

Uberjason's head snapped up.

"You lost your marbles a long time ago! Maybe these will do!" Gizmo tried to quip, as his boot heels snapped open and tiny round spheres began pouring out, similar to Nightwalker's orb bullets. But these were slightly smaller…and only had one task.

Explode.

Gizmo'd gotten the idea from the Joker.

Explosions once again consumed Uberjason, three times as intense as the previous ones as Gizmo dumped all his miniature mines on top of the bastard. Once hr ran out, he flew back down to ground level, as his main gun converted once more, this time to an antitank rifle.

The smoke cleared, revealing a hunched, severely burned Uberjason, who slowly glared up. Gizmo grit his teeth, partly at the fact that he was still up and partly at what Gizmo was seeing. The line across Uberjason's mask, scoured by Nightwalker, was starting to grow fainter. The damn nanomachines kept fixing him no matter what Gizmo did. And he could have sworn he'd shorted them all out. Well, he couldn't do the big electrical zap again, so he'd just have to settle for what he had now, as he aimed his rifle and fired.

The shot blew a huge chunk out of Uberjason's shoulder.

But it also lacked the recoil dampeners Gizmo's old omega shotgun had had. Which meant Gizmo went flying back across the room like a bullet himself, slamming into the wall behind him as he once again banged his head, familiar colors exploding in his vision as he fell to the ground.

The fog seemed to take an eternity to clear, as Gizmo finally managed to get up.

Uberjason stood before him. Gizmo yelped and tried to get his gun back up, but Uberjason grabbed it and yanked it from his hands, crushing it to scrap and tossing it away before turning back to Gizmo. He whimpered…

And then with one giant flip and expert plant, Nightwalker was standing on Jason's wide shoulders, looking down. Uberjason looked up in surprise.

"Hi."

Nightwalker thrust the chainsaw down, trying to saw through Uberjason's mask and head, and while he failed to do so he managed to drive Uberjason back, though Uberjason's jerking movement caused Nightwalker to lose his steady perch, as he leapt and flipped through the air to avoid the slash Uberjason attempted to stick through his guts.

"You ok?" He asked Gizmo.

"I've been better." Gizmo groused, his head pounding.

"Your gun got wrecked. Maybe you should get out of here."

"And miss all the fun? Hell no." Gizmo said, as he almost seemed to float off the ground, and then his backpack extended outward, wrapping around his body and head, encasing Gizmo in an armored green metal suit, as jets erupted in his boots and his backpack finished readjusting itself.

"You really are a techno geek, you know that?" Nightwalker commented.

"You're too kind."

Uberjason slashed at the two, and as they split up Gizmo snapped out his arms and the gauntlets around them snapped open, as rotating barrels began to spray energy bullets in a high intensity barrage, the shots slamming into Uberjason's body, some of them even going through him, but it didn't slow him down at all, as he stalked after Gizmo. Muttering curses, Gizmo flew backwards, as another barrage of mini-missiles flew off and exploded against Uberjason, explosions Uberjason walked through, more bits of him sloughing off. He'd been hit so many times he now looked like a cross between his mechanized self and one of his older dead and rotting selves, but his inhuman drive remained unaffected.

Though it did make him a bit more vulnerable to attack, as Nightwalker leapt in from behind and slashed the chainsaw into the small of Uberjason's back, the blade ripping deep. Nightwalker made that his only blow as he yanked the chainsaw free and leapt away as Uberjason swung back at him, and then turned back to Gizmo.

As the blast Gizmo had charged up completed itself, and he slammed his gauntlets together and fired another beam at Uberjason, this one more concussive then explosive. It blasted Uberjason through the air, his machete flying away, and as he landed on the ground Gizmo flew above him and fired the last of his mini-missiles down onto his body.

Readings flashed across his goggles, and he grimaced. His energy fuel cell was almost completely depleted, and the rest of his systems were battered too. He wouldn't be able to muster much more in the way of offense, so he'd have to be creative…

Or let someone else do the work for him, as Nightwalker pounced on Uberjason and drove the chainsaw down, yelling as he tried to saw through Uberjason's head and face again, trying to put him down with the very weapon that was so often attributed to him despite the fact he'd never once used a chainsaw to kill anyone…

And that fact seemed to anger him, as his hand snapped up and seized Nightwalker by the throat, sitting up and hurling him through the air (though he managed to hold onto the chainsaw and not gore himself with it during the landing: he was good at using that thing!). Getting up, Uberjason shook his head and glanced around for the flying nuisance. He didn't see Gizmo, so he went after Nightwalker, picking up his machete along the way, even as Nightwalker himself got up. His shoulders moving heavily up and down, denoting his exhaustion, Nightwalker nonetheless revved the chainsaw one more and charged.

Uberjason swung first, but Nightwalker dodged the downward swing and sliced a glancing blow up across Uberjason's chest, then ducked under the roundhouse swing and slashed out again.

Uberjason's blade swung back, meeting the chainsaw.

And the chainsaw exploded, the blade mechanism finally snapping off and spraying out, parts of it catching Nightwalker on the head and chest even as the main body overloaded. Nightwalker dropped the chainsaw as it erupted into flames, and then it hit the ground and exploded, causing Nightwalker to fall backwards onto his rear.

And then it began to fade away, perhaps like it should have earlier.

But not before it had managed to lure Nightwalker into a trap, as he looked up on Uberjason…

"Eat toejam, you snot-sniffing crudmuncher!" Gizmo yelled as he dove in, braking up at the last moment and jamming his jet boots into Uberjason's face, causing the monster to recoil once more, giving Nightwalker the necessary recovery time to leap and roll out of the way. Gizmo didn't hang around either, as Uberjason grabbed for him and missed, as the midget genius flew over to Nightwalker.

"Well, if you got some sort of Night-Oblivion Ray tucked into that belt, now's the time to pull it out." Gizmo said.

"Don't have an Oblivion Ray. Barely have anything left at all." Nightwalker replied, trying to find any remaining ammo clips he had.

"Shit." Gizmo relied. Nightwalker stared at him. "What?"

"You cursed."

"Situation warrants it! I don't have anything left with any real ommphhh either!" Gizmo cursed, as Uberjason, having finally recovered from the jetboot attack, started after the two again. Gizmo spied the 'fanny pack' Nightwalker had on his belt.

"Don't suppose you have anything in there that would help."

"Even IF we could manage to hook up the C4 on him, he's proven rather immune to explosions." Nightwalker replied.

"Point."

"Don't suppose you have a device on you that would make a dead relative of ours come out of nowhere and drag our not-so-good friend here into the nearest lake." Nightwalker asked.

"No. Got a convenient river of toxic waste?" Gizmo retorted.

"Nope."

"Then I'm at a bit of a loss."

"We can't just run away."

"He'll teleport ahead of us."

"But I must admit besides that I really don't…" Nightwalker said as Uberjason drew in close.

And then metallic tendrils shot around him, the ends floating up around his head even as the main body snared Uberjason, and as Nightwalker and Gizmo watched in some surprise, the ends opened up into whirring buzzsaws, buzzsaws that drove into Uberjason's head, face, and neck, sending him flailing back as the blades tore into him…and tore themselves to pieces on his body.

"HEY YOU! YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" Came the angry yell, as the tendrils yanked Uberjason onto his side and then recoiled back to their owner, who Gizmo and Nightwalker stared at in some surprise.

"Flense?" Nightwalker said.

It was indeed the teen, bloodied in the face and body but still alive, kicking, and apparently quite angry, as he fired out his metal tentacles again, drills emerging that dug into Uberjason, boring into his body before Uberjason grabbed them and ripped them out, slicing at them with his machete and missing as Flense retracted them once more.

"Come on retard! Forget those pussies! I'm the one you want to fight! Come on!" Flense yelled.

"Ok…I think he might have lost it." Nightwalker commented.

"Your mom was a fucking whore! She deserved to have her head chopped off, kept her from blowing everyone in Crystal Lake! Come on you bastard! I'll finish you off and bury you right next to her slutty corpse!" Flense snarled.

"Dear god he's COMPLETELY lost it." Gizmo said.

And it appeared he had, as Flense's taunts seemed to open up a whole new realm of rage within Jason, his eyes almost looking like they were going to catch fire as he stalked after Flense, who stared at him, almost as if he'd just realized what he'd done.

"Uh…oh fuck." Flense said, and ran for it, Uberjason stalking after him like the devil himself, completely ignoring Nightwalker and Gizmo as he left the room, hunting the teenager who had dared say such blasphemy.

"…Uh…ok. That was unexpected." Nightwalker said as Uberjason left. "Should we follow him and help or…" Nightwalker said, as he turned his head and realized that Gizmo was no longer floating next to him.

"Nightwalker." Gizmo called from down the hall he had zipped down, the one that lead from the door Shimmer and Mammoth had fled through. Nightwalker turned and quickly dashed towards the voice.

He found Gizmo quickly, kneeling next to the body of Mammoth, sadly shaking his head as he took his hand away from his neck.

"Gone. Damn, Baran…damn." Gizmo said, and sighed.

"What killed him?"

"I don't know, but I'd bet anything I own that it's after Shimmer. We have to try and find her and help her. For Baran's sake."

"Shimmer? Can't she turn stuff into other stuff? Is she really in danger?" Nightwalker asked.

"Nightwalker, you must understand. There are three kinds of people in the world. Those who crack under the pressure, those who do but can be taught not to, and those who naturally don't. You're one of the last group, I can tell. Shimmer's in the middle, and she hasn't been properly trained yet. Odds are the fact that she could probably turn the bastard into a statue has been lost in a rush of panic. And that could get her killed. Come on!" Gizmo said, and took off down the nearest hallway, Nightwalker sprinting after him.

* * *

It wasn't just panic that motivated Shimmer's run. It was guilt as well, an overwhelming remorse that she had gotten her brother killed (the fact that he probably would have died anyway was lost on her: he had died because she hadn't run away and in that act of defiance had left him open to what had killed him), the same guilt that had motivated Zippy, and while Pyramid Head had been dealt with, it appeared another wrath would be along shortly to punish her for her 'crime', a crime only her conscious mind seemed to know, as her subconscious instincts seemed quite devoted to the idea of 'Run until you get away'.

Unfortunately, as Wilby had found out, the hand behind all this had begun stacking the deck in its favor, as Shimmer ran into the most recent training room. A small part of her brain recognized it as the room where Wilby had tried to find a weapon and Mammoth had dressed her up in the armor she was wearing…

And then the box shifted, completely on it's own, and a hand grenade rolled out, rolling across the floor seemingly by itself, and while it didn't remove its own pin, it did something just as bad.

It rolled under Shimmer's foot.

Causing her to slip and fall forward, the grenade being flung through the air by the force of the slip, as Shimmer's head and face came down and smacked into the ground, knocking her silly.

And there she lay, unconscious…even as the shape pursuing her slowly continued to follow, as if he knew his pace wouldn't be a problem.

* * *

And despite his fury, Jason didn't move any faster then his usual quick walk, as he stalked the hallways for Flense. It wasn't often that a victim eluded him, especially considering his special 'talents', but even they hadn't allowed him to catch up, as he just kept getting glimpses around corners of the fleeing figure. But Jason had never failed when it came to the hunt: he might be delayed but he was never stopped for long.

He almost walked past the stairs before he stopped. His head turned to look at the metal steps, descending down into the basement of the Hive from a trap door. Could his victim have fled down there? Or was it a setup?

Uberjason scanned the room, then looked back down the stairs…

And heard the noise. His head jerked around.

Flense's feet slammed into his mask as Flense swung down from the ceiling, two tentacles adding some extra ommph and sending Uberjason tumbling down the stairs and into the basement. Flense landed, as several more tentacles emerged from his outfit…all holding grenades.

The pins flew out, and Flense tossed all the grenades down the stairs and dove out of the way. The floor bucked and splintered beneath him as flames belched out through the trap door.

Flense shook his head and peered over at the smoke pouring from the hole, slowly getting to his feet. One metal tentacle formed a fan, and Flense slowly, carefully approached the trap door, two more tentacles at the ready just in case, as the fan began to blow the smoke away, as Flense hunted for the master hunter.

Jason found him first, as the hand flew from the smoke, grabbing Flense by the throat before he could react, and with a yell Uberjason yanked him forward, trying to stab Flense in the chest.

The angle didn't work out, as the blade deflected off the apparatus, but Uberjason settled for throwing Flense down the stairs at the same time, where he crashed into the wall, groaning in pain. Uberjason turned and headed down, the room still filled with smoke, but Uberjason didn't need to see to find his prey, he knew where he was and he was going to make him pay…

Flense's foot snapped up and kicked Uberjason in the head, and then Flense whirled up and slammed out an arm, as another metal tentacle flew through the air and impaled through Uberjason's head courtesy of his eye hole. Flense yanked back the tentacle, slick with dark blood, as Uberjason staggered a bit and then glared murderously at Flense with his remaining eye, as if he was trying to kill him with a gesture.

"Shit." Flense said, and ran for his life down the basement hallway, Uberjason stalking after him, eager to finish the job.

* * *

Shimmer found herself coming groggily back to life, feeling the warm stickiness as blood ran down her forehead from the great blow she'd taken, and she coughed from the dust on the floor as she tried to put together what had happened. She'd been running…

The pain of her brother's death hit her all over again, followed by the icy chill as she realized just what she had been running from, as she looked up…

Myers stood there, staring down at her, as if he'd been watching her sleep for god knows how long. Apparently, it didn't mean much if the victim didn't see it coming.

Shimmer screamed and tried to scramble away, as Myers pursued her, his wide steps easily outpacing her mad crabwalk, and as Shimmer turned over onto her hands and knees and tried to quicken her pace he reached out and seized her by the clothing around her waist.

"NO!" She screamed, fighting with all her might and managing to yank herself free from Myers' grip, but she only managed to scramble several more feet before he grabbed her again. Shimmer kicked her way free with another scream and scrambled away again…

Myers lunged forward, seizing her by her hair, this time in an iron grip, and as Shimmer screamed and wept, Myers yanked her up as he drew back his knife, preparing to gut the young girl.

* * *

The scream echoed down the hallway, and Gizmo jerked his head in the direction of the sound.

"That way!"

"You sure?" Nightwalker asked.

"I've twice pranked Selinda with a bucket of cold water. I know her scream!" Gizmo said as he turned around and shot down the corridor…

As the door closed in front of him.

"Crap!" Gizmo said, coming to a stop. Well, may as well try the usual thing first, as he hit the entry button.

And the door, strangely, opened. Gizmo didn't waste time pondering: he hit the gas again. Though the short time it took for him to open the door was long enough for Nightwalker to catch up to him, and hence the two ran roughly side by side as they went through the door…

And stepped into hell, as the corridor plunged into darkness around them and reappeared a second later. Gizmo came to a dead stop.

"No." He whispered. It was the corridor again, the exact same one he had seen an eternity ago. The same scabbed and broken floors, the same walls adorned with grating and doors and stone pillars and hanging, bleeding mannequins. Everything matched Gizmo's near photographic memory…and that chilled him to the bone because the corridor he had seen was across the school. And he knew he hadn't been turned around.

It had reappeared, here…

"Oh shit, not again." Nightwalker said, glancing around. "Let's go!"

"…Crud." Gizmo said, still a bit alarmed.

"Mikron! We have to move!"

"Hey! Don't call me…!" Gizmo began.

A hand exploded through the grating, a grotesquely swollen arm with fingers fused together grabbing for Gizmo, and he shrieked and backed away, as the grating was smashed to pieces by the creature coming out of it. It wasn't Pyramid Head, he had been dispatched, but it was far from pleasant, a overmuscled humanoid creature whose testicles and penis swung freely, the arms and legs of the creature jerking and distorting in ways that no human limbs could move, its face a mess of flesh and metal, as if someone had tried to fuse the face with a mask and failed, horribly, utterly. It had no eyes, flesh covering any space they might be, and in one hand it held a large double-headed axe. Gizmo gulped, as the creature twisted its neck at a grotesque angle and looked at Nightwalker, despite having no eyes, and the black clan teen surged backwards himself, bumping into one of the mannequins…

Whose chest exploded, as another creature tore its way from within the construct and leapt onto Nightwalker's back, the vigilante feeling a deep burning pain as whatever it was jammed a knife in, Nightwalker yelling as he staggered forward, trying to get the creature off, and whatever it was it was laughing, giggling like a child, its innocent sounds in horrible contrasts to its deeds…

Gizmo blew it off Nightwalker's back with a blast of laser gauntlet fire, and as it hit the ground Nightwalker whirled around to see it: a grotesque dwarf, much like a baby but at the same time anything but, holding a rusty scalpel as it grinned at Nightwalker.

It had eyes in its teeth, bloodshot orbs that stared at Nightwalker accusingly.

Nightwalker blew its head off with two well-placed orbs, unable to stand the blasphemous sight. He heard a yell behind him, and turned to see Gizmo frantically trying to hold off the overmuscled axe creature with his weakened lasers. Nightwalker emptied several more orbs into the monster, and as it staggered back from the blow Gizmo pulled out a small gun and sprayed a noxious liquid on the monster, liquid he ignited by kicking it with his jet boots. The monster, all aflame, staggered off, moaning in a sense that suggested pain and yet…anything but.

"Oh crud, what's going…" Gizmo said.

"Doesn't matter! Let's get out of…!"

Another mannequin exploded, and another demonic baby leapt for Gizmo and Nightwalker, who barely avoided it even as a door slammed open and out shuffled another overmuscled field, this one dragging a large pipe. Skittering sounded from the ceiling, and then another baby flew down at the two, Nightwalker kicking it away and mid air, the demon flying past another grating being smashed down to expose yet another muscle demon.

The halls weren't playing around any more.

"Oh crap. Any ideas?" Gizmo said as he and Nightwalker, back to back, looked around, even as more creatures spawned from hell emerged from the corners, the shadows, the dark.

"I don't plan on dying in here." Nightwalker said, snapping in one of his few remaining clips.

The creatures surged, and Gizmo and Nightwalker fired around them, circling as they tried to blast every target, but there was so many of them…

A demon baby jumped on Gizmo's back, forcing him down with the weight, and as Nightwalker turned to help a muscle creature struck him the back with a bloodied wrench, and then the creatures were on them, surging over their bodies and swallowing their screams with hungry moans.

* * *

It seemed that nothing would save Shimmer, except maybe herself, and as we have said, Shimmer wasn't exactly that…

But one thing she never forgot to do was feed her cat, and karma remembers in strange ways.

As Mittens leapt off a nearby stack of boxes and jumped onto Michael's face, clawing and hissing. Why this young cat who had done nothing more then run away from anything even remotely (though one could suppose they all were quite) threatening now chose to do this was unknown. Maybe he was tired of hunting for food in such a dangerous territory and had decided that Shimmer was his link to safe food. Or maybe it was just a plot device. You decide.

Michael recoiled away from the surprise, letting Shimmer go as he tried to keep Mittens away from his eye holes, as Shimmer collapsed with a gasp and turned around, her eyes going wide as she saw Myers yank Mittens off his face and change his knife's position to cut him in half.

"NOOOOO!" Shimmer wailed, lunging forward and grabbing Michael's leg. "YOU CAN'T HAVE MY KITTY TOO!"

And Myers' whole leg turned to steel, morphed into the steel floor much to his great surprise, as he looked down at the now dead limb, as Mittens squirmed free and fell to the ground, his moment of bravery done as he ran like the wind. Shimmer even seemed a bit confused herself, as if she had forgotten all about that aspect of her power…

And then Myers tried to stab her through the back. Shimmer scrambled away again, staring at Myers tried to follow her and found he could not move: his leg was firmly fused to the floor and he couldn't move from the spot. He looked down at the limb, and then back at Shimmer, and in his dead eyes was reflected something so primal and dangerous it would have chilled the Lord's soul.

* * *

"It didn't." The Lord said from behind the bar.

* * *

In any case it put wings on Shimmer's feet all over again, as she turned and ran out the nearest door, Myers glaring after her, as he yanked at his leg, trying to at least free it. He did that for a bit.

And then suddenly his leg was back to normal, as if it had never been turned to metal. Myers gave the limb an odd look…and then forgot about it and headed off after his victim again.

* * *

In another odd quirk of fate, had Shimmer run the opposite way of the way she had, she would have run right into the battle between Flay and the Tall Man, the battle that was reaching its final, fevered stage.

And Flay was losing, and he knew it. His body ached with pain and fatigue, his agile grace now only existing in his own mind, his survival now heavily dependent on luck. Spheres littered the ground all over, but more came to replace them.

One of his plasma whips had burned out first. Flay had tried to adjust as best he could, but even as he cut down another group of silver spheres his electric/sonic whip finally went as well, the power core burning out. With two dead whips, the cat o' nine tails was no longer the optimum weapon for Flay to use, but he could hardly take the time to change his setup around.

He tried anyway, taking a chance when a positron laser blast detonated at his feet and blew him through the air. Flay spun away from the swooping lunges of a few other spheres, and even in mid air he snapped off his flame whip. He landed, stumbled badly, and barely recovered as new spheres swooped in, as Flay swung the fire whip around him, using the heat shimmer and smoke to obscure him, even as he frantically tried to disassemble his omega hybrid with one hand.

A burning sphere flew through the air, knocked off course but not enough, as its unbladed end clanged into Flay's head, sending him stumbling into the wall and very nearly knocking him out. The fire whip fell at his heels, and new spheres zipped in. Flay ducked as one rammed into the wall above him and then dove forward, grabbing the fire whip back up, and did several flips along the wall to avoid the spheres behind it. He flipped back up, having held onto both whips the whole time, and put on one last fire whip display, as his fingers moved impossibly in his other hand…

The handles all came apart, finally unmerging fully, and Flay snapped off his flame whip and grabbed up his remaining plasma one as the two other dead whips fell to the ground, Flay wrapping the cooled off fire whip around to join its badly damaged brother, the anti grav whip, as Flay took up the plasma whip with one hand and the five-barbed ends of the other whip in the other. He no longer had the firepower to go for mass destruction. What would save him (ha) now was precision.

As Flay cracked his right whip and smacked a sphere out of the air a foot from his right ear. Well, Flay had never been a klutz.

The air filled with violent whip cracks as Flay went into another deadly dance, blending offense and defense with supreme smoothness, as sphere after sphere fell, even as he retreated, fleeing through an open door into the next room. His first thought was the room was a mess, as if someone had ransacked nearby rooms and covered it with junk. Then two spheres were coming for him, and he slashed with his plasma whip…

And watched in horror as it burned out in mid air. It got one sphere, but the second took the blow from the dead whip and the angle wasn't precise enough to stop it, as it flew forward and buried its blades into Flay's face.

Flay screamed, stumbling back, even as the drill came out, starting to shred through the tissue.

Flay got his hands up and yanked as hard as he could, pulling the sphere free in a brief splash of blood, and throwing it off into the air before a whip crack shattered it. Violently nauseous and dizzy, feeling like his brains were leaking out through his face, Flay none the less got his fire whip back out and blazing as the next wave came. He couldn't see, but Flay had never so much relied on his eyes as he did on the sixth sense that gave him such mastery over his weapons, and he took down every sphere in the latest wave.

Wiping his face, trying to clear his eyes, Flay looked around frantically, hunting for the next attack.

None. There were no more spheres. Incredulous, Flay whirled around…

And found the Tall Man staring down on him.

Flay recoiled, but only a step, as he lashed back with both whips…

The Tall Man swatted him away like he was a fly, as Flay came tumbling down some feet away. Pain shot through his body, but he managed to stagger up, snapping out the whips…

The sphere impaled in his shoulder. Before Flay could do anything, another impaled in his right arm, and then his chest, and then two more, and Flay, with one final scream, found himself being lifted off the ground and actually flown through the air, another sphere impaling into his wrist and causing him to lose his flame whip, and then Flay hit the wall, as a myriad of other spheres flew in, blades flashing.

Flay was quite surprised when he didn't find himself dead seconds later, and he groaned and looked down on himself. Spheres covered his whole body, all the blades out and in his flesh, but they hadn't penetrated very deep, to the point where all they had inflicted were surface wounds. The sheer number of them, and their pattern, kept him pinned to the wall in perfect balance, like a butterfly under a needle. His left hand still held his lone remaining offensive whip, but the arm was pinned firmly and he might as well have not been armed at all.

Flay looked up in horror, as the Tall Man slowly approached, now with the slightest air of approval, of a hunter whose dogs had finally run the rabbit to ground.

* * *

The basement of the Hive base was a crude affair, as it wasn't intended to be used much. Unlike the above floor, which was a massive maze, the basement was pretty much a zig-zagging straight line, with several rooms that held the usual: supplies, tools, and even an interrogation room like the kind used in police stations, though why that had been built Blood didn't know, as he hadn't yet found a use for it. Besides a few stairways and the elevator that led down to it, there was pretty much nothing down there.

Except one very angry slasher, and his prey. However, the prey wasn't exactly going to give up without a fight.

As mentioned, the rooms held the usual.

And one of the usual was firearms.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Flense bellowed as he did a small leap out of the door in front of Uberjason, each hand clutching an uzi while several tentacles also held shotguns, machine guns, and pistols.

Flense opened fire.

And nearly flew right off his feet from all the recoil.

"Son of a…!" Flense cursed as he righted himself, propped himself up with a tentacle, and resumed firing just as Jason recovered from the first brief spray.

The narrow hallway amplified the hellacious noise as the firepower rained down on Uberjason. In the beginning that hadn't even bothered him, but now his body was broken down, battered by endless forces, and as a result the ammo riddled him, filling him with holes as Flense marched forward, emptying all the guns until all that came from them were dry clicks. Uberjason collapsed, black blood oozing from his wounds.

Flense dropped all the empty guns.

Uberjason sat up like it was nothing.

"Ahhhhhh FUUUUUUCKKKKKK!" Flense screamed as he turned and ran again, as Uberjason got up and once again pursued.

* * *

Shimmer was sure her own nightmare was still in pursuit, but she hadn't seen a trace of him for the past several minutes. The solitude had allowed her to calm down a bit, though she was still quite rattled. She knew he'd be after her: her transmutations only lasted three minutes and she'd been too scared to do anything else. And she was still wracked with pain over Baran's death, but she also understood that she had to try and get ahold of herself, if she wanted to survive.

Still, the eerie quiet was almost as bad as when Myers was in her vision, as she crossed yet another training room, this one pretty much empty. She figured she was just about out of the right wing of the training section: maybe once she reached the dormitories she could find an exit.

Of course the latest door was closed: even when the doors were opened none of them actually stayed that way. The panel was still intact though, so Shimmer looked over her shoulder, and then carefully began inputting the code.

It seemed to be accepted, and Shimmer looked over her shoulder again, her eyes darting back and forth, as she pressed the main button. Nothing came from the shadows, and Shimmer turned back to the door…

Myers stood in front of her.

For a moment Shimmer could only stand in utter shock. How? How had he gotten around her? Known it was THIS EXACT DOOR? How…

Because that's the way the rules worked.

Her attempted calm shattered as she screamed again, trying to turn and run away, but Myers' hand shot out and seized her by the front of her armor, lifting her up a bit as he lifted up his knife to cut her pretty face off.

"NO!" Shimmer screamed, as she went for his face, and while her sheer panic kept her from using her powers despite the fact she'd been planning to do so but not ten seconds ago, she did manage to yank his mask to the side, blinding him. Myers stopped his stab as he shook his head, trying to see, and Shimmer tore at his hand with her fingernails and managed to get him to release his grip. She landed, stumbled as she tried to do an immediate 180, and ran for her life.

Myers adjusted his mask somewhat so one dead eye peered out, looking upon the fleeing Shimmer…and then he raised his hand and hurled his knife after her.

It hit her right between her shoulder blades.

Shimmer stopped dead, whimpered with a sound that echoed Terra, and then fell on her face.

Myers finished adjusting his mask, walking over to his victim. A pity, long-range kills often lacked satisfaction, as he reached down and pulled his knife out…

It resisted him, and Myers found he had to yank fairly hard to get it free…and then he stared at the blade. Something was off. Only the very tip of the blade had blood on it.

And then Shimmer stirred, and Myers looked down at her. So, the armor she wore on her back had deflected the blow, so to speak: the knife had gone through it but only the tip had actually penetrated flesh, though the impact and the sensation of the tip just brushing up against her spine had caused Shimmer to collapse from shock.

Well, she didn't look like she was up to fighting, and her neck was quite bare. He'd just cut the spine there, and finish this off once and for all, as he swung his hand back and slashed out his knife.

Which stopped.

In mid-air.

Myers jerked his head towards his arm, staring at the limb…at the rippling shape he could now see that he focused on it, a space where he could see through but not perfectly, as if something was still there…holding his arm…without being seen…

"No, I'm not the Predator." The cloaked shape said.

Gizmo rammed into the side of Micheal's head and shoulder, putting every bit of momentum he could into the shoulder tackle, and while the strike rang through his body it sent Myers staggering away, a stagger that turned into an all out fall as the shimmering effect disappeared and revealed Nightwalker, who swung around and slammed his foot into Myers' face, pitching him onto the ground.

"Selinda! It's ok! We're here!" Gizmo said as he came down next to Shimmer, who looked up groggily at the midget.

"Uhhhhhhh…Mik-ron?"

Gizmo let the use of his name slide, as he shoved some smelling salts under Shimmer's nose. That cleared her up in a hurry.

"You better be grateful young lady." Nightwalker said as he knelt by Shimmer as well, his eyes on Myers' still fallen form. "I had to sacrifice something quite rare to get out of the situation we found ourselves in when we chased you. Gray magic fields don't grow on trees."

"What?" Shimmer said, confused.

"Forget it Selinda. It wasn't your fault." Gizmo said. Indeed, it had been Nightwalker's choice. He had, under the pile of creatures that he could not have escaped otherwise, fired off four potent words of power that had destroyed the protection that had shielded him against Betelgeuse but had also destroyed all the creatures piled on top of him, as well as pretty much all the ones on top of Gizmo, who had been shielded from the magical eruption by the bodies. They had gotten out of the corridor before more creatures could show up, and now knelt next to Shimmer.

And their problems weren't done yet, as Myers was starting to rise.

"Shit." Gizmo said.

"Selinda, can you fight?"

"I…uh…" Shimmer stammered.

"Forget it, you're still freaked out. Stay back, we'll handle Myers." Nightwalker said, as he put in an ammo clip.

"But…" Shimmer said.

"Selinda, I know what he did. Baran was my friend. I'll bring you this crudmuncher's head." Gizmo said, sounding a lot braver then he felt. In reality his weapon systems were running on fumes: he'd wasted all the good stuff on Uberjason before Flense had lured him away.

"Just keep out of our way." Nightwalker said, rising up, as Myers finished doing so and turned around, his expressionless face never changing.

"Nightwalker, give me back my cloaking device." Gizmo said as he flew next to Nightwalker. Nightwalker handed the device, about the size of an overlarge wallet that clipped to Nightwalker's belt, back.

"Thanks. Take this." Gizmo said, handing over another device.

"What is it?"

"Hologram generator. Give it a minute to read your body and it'll make clones of you. Good for screwing people up. I think this will serve me better." Gizmo said, as he snapped the cloaking device back into his setup.

"Hey Gizmo, one question."

"Yeah, what?" Gizmo said, as Myers began to approach.

"That device bends light to render you invisible, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then how come I could still see? Sight is achieved by light striking the eyes and the eyes interpreting them as images. If the light's being deflected, how come I wasn't blind?"

"…I'd explain that, but there's a lot of math." Gizmo said.

"Forget it, I got a D in Math." Nightwalker replied, and then Myers stabbed his knife at the teen, who dodged away. "But I got an A in Asskicking!" He snapped off, as he slammed a quick one-two kick into Myers' stomach and chest. He was hard to hit, with a body that was clearly composed of rock hard muscle, but at least it wasn't like kicking a wall.

"And an F in Banter, apparently." Gizmo said, as he snapped his goggles on and then cloaked himself. As Myers swung at Nightwalker again and Nightwalker cartwheeled away, Gizmo zipped around Michael and rammed into his back, forcing his jet boots into the boiler suit Myers wore, trying to ignite it. It didn't work, though it did knock Myers down and give him a nasty burn…

And also allowed his hand to swing up and grab Gizmo's ankle. Gizmo yelled as Myers yanked down him, stabbing his knife out.

Orbs slammed into Myers' arm, causing him to drop his knife, and then Gizmo got one of his gauntlets up and fired a spray of energy shots into Myers' face and chest, forcing him to let go. As Gizmo flew back up again, he once again cursed that he had used so much energy on Jason that now his shots did little more then stun and mildly bruise Myers, while Nightwalker himself cursed that he'd used up all his really good ammo earlier. Not only had he run out of explosive and acid shots, he'd also used up the more dense and compact normal ammo which hit harder: if Nightwalker had shot Myers with THAT ammo his arm would have been a shattered wreck. Well, if his orbs couldn't do it, Nightwalker would do it with his own body, as he ran in and swung his leg out, kicking Myers across the face. It just put him in range of Myers' knife, which he barely managed to leap away from.

Shimmer watched as Gizmo and Nightwalker darted in and out, stinging Myers with blows. And doing about as much damage to him as a mosquito. But they'd told her not to interfere…

Nightwalker punched Myers in the throat, and then grabbed his knife arm with both hands when Myers tried to stab him in retaliation. Myers seemed to struggle with Nightwalker for a bit, and then grabbed him with the other hand and threw him across the room like it was nothing. He didn't get to follow up though, as Gizmo came down on the top of his head in a diving knee thrust. It knocked Myers down, but it hurt Gizmo more them him, metal knee armor aside, as Gizmo spun off at an odd angle…

And then his cloaking device finally shorted out, rendering him visible. And Myers was back up and glaring at him.

"Oh crap." Gizmo said.

Myers started for him.

And then two perfectly fired orbs slammed into the back of his knees, causing him to collapse. Gizmo took advantage to fly in and shoot Myers a few more times with his gauntlets before he ran away once more, cursing his low power. As Myers got up, an orb ricocheted off his mask and drew his attention back to Nightwalker, who gave him the finger, which reversed Myers' direction.

"Grahhh. Gizmo's no charity case!" Gizmo muttered, as he thought his options over. His shots were too weak, all his other ammo was exhausted save for one lone rail driver tucked in his boot and with his gun destroyed that was worthless, and his physical attacks were doing little. What else could he…

He eyes were drawn to the ceiling. He had an idea.

He just hoped Nightwalker would catch on, as he flew up a bit higher, as Nightwalker again tried to engage Myers in hand to hand. Myers, by now, had apparently deduced this as well, and wasn't having any of it, as Nightwalker's spinning thrust kick was no sold as Myers brought his closest hand (fortunately not the one holding the knife) down on down on Nightwalker's back, driving him to his knees before Myers kicked him in the ribs and sent him flying across the room again. Shimmer gasped at the blow.

And Gizmo began firing, at the ceiling.

Nightwalker coughed violently, wondered where his backup was…and then his eyes were drawn by the noise of Gizmo's shots, as he looked up…saw what Gizmo was doing…and understood.

Myers was on him, stabbing downward.

And Nightwalker ducked under the knife, snarling as it grazed his left shoulder, even as he rammed his right shoulder into Myers' gut and shoved him backwards.

As Gizmo's shots blew a chunk out of the plaster and stone roof and sent it falling down.

Right on Myers' head, as Nightwalker shoved him under the debris. The impact drove him to his knees, and Nightwalker leapt and flipped, ramming his leg up against Myers' down-turned face in a flipping knee strike, landing on his feet and dancing away as Myers was actually driven back up to his feet by the impact. Gizmo gave a short laugh of triumph: now he just had to do the same thing with the floor under Myers' feet, as he flew back down to get a bead.

And Myers whirled and hurled the knife at Gizmo, the blade flying true through the air…and plunging right into Gizmo's chest.

The good news was, his armor was just as good as Shimmer's.

The bad news was, it had a lot more stuff in it. Like circuits, and wires, and power sources.

And Myers' knife managed to hit in an area that scrambled all three, as electricity exploded on Gizmo and he screamed, voltage coursing through him for several seconds before it shut off, as he fell, smoking, to the ground with a thud.

"Gizmo!" Shimmer cried.

Myers turned his black eyes on Shimmer, his chosen victim, who he would claim…

If he could get rid of the black suited teen in front of him, as Nightwalker sprang in to attack again.

Myers no longer had his knife, but he wasn't six years old anymore. He didn't need a knife to take life, as he lunged at Nightwalker…

And found his hand passing through Nightwalker's head.

Even as another Nightwalker jumping over his back.

And another in his peripheral vision.

And yet another in front of him.

"What's wrong? It looks like you've seen a ghost." All the Nightwalkers said.

A powerful blow slammed into Michael's back, and as he whirled around another one was hammered into his face, staggering him again, as that Nightwalker, the real one, danced back into a group of holograms and lost himself in them.

"Shimmer! Help Gizmo! I'll keep the bastard occupied!" Nightwalker said, and all of the Nightwalkers aimed at Myers, who having no idea which Nightwalker was the real one, was defenseless against the spray of orbs that slammed into his chest and knocked him flat. Various Nightwalkers danced around his fallen body, making to kick him, as Myers swiped at the clones, unable to get a grip on them.

And then they all disappeared, revealing Nightwalker standing at a nearby door. He shot Myers once more to get his attention, gave him the finger again, and ran off.

Myers stood up as he considered…and decided he could get the red-haired one later. This one would be more fun to destroy, as he went after Nightwalker. Taking that as a cue, Shimmer crawled over to Gizmo, whose armor had retracted back into his still smoking backpack.

To her horror, Shimmer realized he wasn't breathing.

* * *

"I must admit boy, you are a unique one." The Tall Man said as he stood in front of the thoroughly pinned Flay. "Your example will serve me well in the future."

Flay, despite all his injury, could still muster a decent glare. The Tall Man, despite his face not changing, seemed to notice.

"You look so angry. The ones that fight always do. As they realize that I am so much more then they could ever overcome. For you are, in the end, just…a boy." The Tall Man said.

Belinda's gun pressed up against his temple.

"Not an issue here." Belinda said, as the Tall Man's eyes darted to her, and then she fired, an explosion of yellow goo flying from the Tall Man's head as he staggered back and collapsed.

The spheres went crazy, though in this case going crazy meant they yanked themselves out of Flay to go after Belinda…and ran into a barrage of machine gun fire that blew them apart, as Kane and Patrick ran in and began yanking the remaining spheres out of Flay, who collapsed to the ground, Kane and Patrick grabbing him.

"Told you you should have let us come along kid." Belinda said, her good humor hiding her true feelings. Flay had locked them up to spare them, and his body, covered with wounds, spoke of that stupidity.

"Sir!" Kane said loudly, and Belinda turned as she saw the Tall Man getting up. He did not look happy.

"What the…FUCK!" Belinda yelled, as she jerked her gun up and opened fire, new bullets tearing through the Tall Man before a golden sphere flew in and blew Belinda's gun apart in her hands, knocking her down as the sphere flew in. Belinda got her hands up and grabbed it by the arms that held the buzzsaws, but the impact knocked her off her feet anyway, and she yelled as the three bladed prongs at the end of the golden sphere pressed in, trying to force its way through her head…

A whip crack tore the sphere apart, Belinda sitting up in surprise, as Flay recalled his weapon.

"Not quite…finished yet."

The Tall Man's face twisted into that powerful squint, yellow blood running down his forehead, unable to believe that despite all he'd done the child could still fight. That settled it: he would deal with him personally.

"BOY!" The Tall Man bellowed, his voice reverberating around the room, as the spheres came, seemingly from nowhere, as Kane and Patrick got their guns up and firing again, trying to protect themselves from the assault, but for all the damage they had done there were simply too many spheres, indeed, they almost seemed to be toying with them as they swooped and slashed by.

And despite all his injuries, Flay went into another dance, lashing his lone whip about, striking sphere after sphere from the air, as the remaining Hive drones tried to help, Belinda drawing a handgun and adding to the defense, as Flay slashed down another sphere…

And then one rammed into his back, the blades digging in, but instead of drilling this one shoved him forward, away from the drones, and then Flay pulled himself from the blades and fell to the ground, trying to spring up immediately and not being too successful, as a wall of spheres cut him off from the drones.

And the Tall Man was coming, slowly approaching Flay, even as more of his spheres came, and Flay found himself being driven back as he fought against impossible odds.

* * *

Uberjason stalked down the hallway, hunting his prey, checking in every door he could. The half finished nature of the basement was clear: some of the doors, instead of metal, were wooden, propped up in a hastily assembled frame, easily enough for Jason to kick down.

The attack didn't come from one of those rooms though, as the blade flew through the air and impaled itself in Uberjason's forehead. He stopped as he saw the form dart back into the room he'd stuck his body from, and then he angrily yanked the scalpel out of his head and stormed to the door. There would be no escaping him.

Flense was indeed in the room, which was larger then the other ones in the basement: it was actually where Lucinda was planning to move her temporary lab for more privacy. But there was nothing in the room at the moment except Flense.

And his new toys.

"Man, you really are a retard, ain't you?" Flense said, as he held up the bladed staff, the glaive he had found in one of the basement rooms. And not just any glaive. A Blacktrinian glaive.

An eternity ago, Nigel had complained that due to his weapons having been sent away to be copied and then delayed in their return, he had to make do with a chair leg for defense. What Nigel never knew was that the real reason for the delay was because Blood had intercepted the weapons and squirreled them away, planning to copy them himself. The weapons had been stored in a basement room…a room Flense had found, and raided, Nigel's weapons now his, as his metal tentacles dangled above his head, holding three swords, a mace, and several other nasty looking tools that Nigel actually used for surgery but could double quite nicely as weapons, on top of the glaive Flense held in his hands. Next to them, Jason's machete looked rather puny.

"_En garde_." Flense said, and leapt in to attack. Uberjason retaliated with his own machete, but one sword blocked and deflected it while the other two stabbed and slashed across Jason's shoulders and head, as Flense did likewise with the glaive across Jason's chest and torso, sparks flying from the metal parts of his body. Uberjason was pushed back, but he didn't yield, as he forced the sword holding his machete away and stabbed it at Flense, the metalliplastic weapon extending out and lancing for Flense's head, but Flense jerked aside and redoubled his effort, bringing the mace down across Uberjason's face with a thunderous impact, and then seized his chance and rammed the glaive right through Uberjason's gut, the other end bursting out his back.

For a moment, Flense stood there.

And then Uberjason glared at him, as if asking "And that's supposed to do WHAT?"

His fist slammed into Flense's chest and sent him flying away, losing the glaive in the process. Uberjason grabbed the end and yanked it out, weighed it, decided it was too heavy for his tastes, and dropped it as Flense leapt in, hurling the various surgical tools at Uberjason as he slashed at him with twin swords in his hands and the weapons still in his tentacles. The weapons gorged more deep wounds into Jason's flesh, but he continued to shrug off the slashes and impacts, as he pushed again, trying to get his machete through.

The two of them locked blades, Uberjason's machete seized between the middle of Flense's weapons.

And then the swords clattered to the ground as Uberjason shoved down mightily, twisting the weapons from Flense's hands even as he clamped his other hand on Flense's face and tried to crush his skull. The arms holding the mace came down, hammering at the limb…and then Uberjason grabbed the mace, yanked it from the tendril's grip, and slammed it into Flense's chest, severely denting the metal apparatus, even more considering it had been weakened from a sphere laser blast. Flense flew across the room, hit the wall, and collapsed, coughing violently, as Uberjason disposed of the mace and stalked after him, machete at the ready.

Flense still had one sword left, and he charged in with it, swinging wildly and screaming, his tentacles snapping out drills and buzzsaws to aid in the attack. It didn't do him any good, as Uberjason deflected his now wild blows with his machete and ignored the tentacles, as they jerked back and away every time he sliced at them. Flense tried to spin around Uberjason and get him in the back…

And found that it was a bad move, as Uberjason spun around and buried the machete in Flense's side.

Flense screamed in agony, collapsing, and Uberjason raised the machete to finish the job.

The tendrils seized Uberjason, picking him up and slamming him hard against the wall. Uberjason was shaken a bit by the blow, but he still tried to counter attack, swiping at the tendrils and finding they retreated again, just like Flense was, as he staggered towards the door, holding his bleeding side.

"What was…I thinking…" Flense whispered.

He turned his head and found much to his horror that Uberjason was once again in pursuit. He passed Nigel's glaive, and picked it up and hurled it at Uberjason along the way. The blade struck Uberjason in the chest, but he simply reached up and yanked it out as Flense fled through the doorway, staggering down the hallway, trying to find a stairway, to get away…

Uberjason seized Flense by the back of his head, and Flense's eyes went wide in horror.

Uberjason didn't stab him.

Instead he rammed Flense through the nearest door.

Facefirst.

* * *

Myers grabbed for the diving Nightwalker, but it turned out to be a hologram again, and then the real Nightwalker slammed a kick into his knee and then backhanded him across the face before bounding away. Myers tried to follow the real deal, but the hologram device was very effective at hiding people, and he soon once again lost the teenager among the imposters.

The two had fought down several hallways, Nightwalker landing a blow or two and then retreating before Myers could get his hands on him. The hit and run was affecting him worse then Myers: he was hyperventilating, soaked with sweat, and every single muscle of his upper body seemed to ache.

He tried to relieve the pressure by shooting off a few more orbs, striking Myers in the head and chest and knocking him back a bit. He growled. He had three clips left, and he'd just shot most of one off. What he could he use to kill this bastard?

Myers lunged for Nightwalker, and Nightwalker retreated again, sending off more holograms, but this time Myers wasn't falling for it, he was heading straight for Nightwalker, as if he'd somehow learned to tell the difference, although how was a question that baffled the vigilante.

So he decided to change tactics, as he charged at Myers, running up the wall, bouncing off it onto the other, and then bouncing off that as he dove forward, slamming both fists into Myers' face, and as he landed he emptied what was left of the clip into Myers' chest at point blank range, Myers staggering back, and then Nightwalker blitzed him, firing off punches and kicks with all his remaining strength, slamming blows into Myers' kidneys, ribs, neck, and face, finishing with a magnificent leaping backwards spin heel thrust kick.

Myers staggered and nearly fell.

And then stood straight again, seemingly unaffected.

"No." Nightwalker said in horror.

Myers' backhand came with terrible speed, throwing Nightwalker onto his back and causing him to slide across the hallway.

Nightwalker came to a stop, shaking his head as he tried to recover his senses and think of a new way to use the holograms…

And then realized, to his horror, that the hologram device, clipped to his belt, was gone.

It was now on the ground a dozen feet in front of him, and Myers was looking at it with some interest.

Then he stomped on it, and Nightwalker was left alone.

"Oh no." Nightwalker said, as Myers came for him.

* * *

"GAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Gizmo gasped as he sat up, feeling like he had been charbroiled.

"Mikron! It worked! Oh thank god I took those CPR classes!" Shimmer said, throwing her arms around Gizmo, who was a bit too flustered to complain about his real name.

"…Uh…you're welcome…I mean thanks…I mean…crud! Where's Myers?"

"Nightwalker lured him off…"

"Then we have to get there and help him!" Gizmo said as he got up.

"But…how?" Shimmer asked, as Gizmo tried to reactivate his armor and found it wasn't working. He muttered a few curses, apparently wanting to make up for lost time with all the silly child swears he usually used.

"Hey!" Shimmer suddenly said.

"What?"

"The knife!"

"What knife?"

"The one Myers stabbed you with!"

"What about it?"

"Where'd it go?"

And much to his surprise, Gizmo found that the blade that had nearly killed him was indeed gone, as if it had just vanished into thin air.

"…Forget that! We have to go stop Myers!" Gizmo said in the end.

"Ok!…How?"

"Well I'll have to think of something, but we can't just leave Nightwalker alone!…Where is he?"

"Uh…I don't know."

Gizmo nearly facevaulted before he realized that made sense.

"Which way did he go?"

"That way!" Shimmer said, pointing.

"Right then, let's go!" Gizmo said…and then found his jetpack wasn't working either. Cursing again, he found himself having to hoof it for the first time in a long time.

* * *

The wooden door exploded into splinters as Jason introduced Flense to it, the teen flying into the room, knocking over an old wooden chair in the process. He gasped, trying to get his bearings…and as he turned around he saw two things.

A window looking into another room.

And Uberjason's foot coming down towards his head.

Flense got his hands up and stopped the foot, barely, his tendrils coming to help, his micromotors screaming with effort once more as they tried to keep Flense's skull safe.

And despite all that they were failing, as the boot slowly descended with murderous intent…

* * *

Nightwalker staggered into the room, not knowing where he was going, just knowing he had to think of something, anything…and maybe the room would offer something.

Nightwalker stopped. He recognized the room. It was the 'office' of Blood's 'secretary', just outside Blood's own office, where he had been when he had interviewed and accepted Nightwalker for the Hive. Although since the place had once been a school, it was set up like a school, with the desk in front of a large glass petition which hid a desk the vice-principal must have worked at before coming to the door that led to Blood's actual office.

But Nightwalker couldn't see how it would help him…

And then the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, even as he saw the shadow fall over him. Myers. Already. How had he moved so quietly…

Nightwalker turned and tried to strike, only to find himself turning into Myers' thundering punch, knocking him to the ground.

* * *

Unable to resist the leverage, Flense negated it, as he slammed a tentacle into the back of Uberjason's other leg and caused him to lose his balance. Uberjason staggered, and then swung down with the machete to try and compensate, but Flense had already rolled away, getting to his feet…

Uberjason swung the machete to the side, the weighted blade grazing Flense's collarbone and sending him staggering back into the wall, a wall he bounced off…and into Uberjason's hands.

"OH NO!"

Uberjason lifted Flense up…

* * *

As Myers reached down and seized Nightwalker by the front of his outfit, yanking him up and then hurling him through the air.

Nightwalker struck the glass partition back first, shattering the glass.

* * *

The window between the interrogation and observation room shattered as well as Uberjason hurled Flense through it head first, Flense landing on the cheap wooden table inside and collapsing it with a crunch.

Uberjason stared through the hole he had made, and then he turned and left the police side of the interrogation room.

* * *

Myers approached the fallen Nightwalker, who had bounced off the desk beyond the glass partition and now lay on the ground, back first among the broken glass, twitching.

Nightwalker opened foggy eyes as he tried to remember where he was…

Myers' hands came down, seizing Nightwalker by the throat, and Nightwalker found his air completely cut off as Myers began to throttle him.

* * *

Blood spilling from his nose, a cut on his head, and a split lip, Flense slowly got up, looking around, wondering where the hell Jason had gone. He wasn't in the 'police side' of the interrogation room, which Flense could actually see because Uberjason had removed the barrier, and he wasn't anywhere in the small room Flense was in.

Which meant he was coming in the door.

And there was only one door, in front of Flense.

Flense approached, slowly, all his tentacles out, armed, and ready, one lone one slowly creeping forward to open the door, as Flense prepared to rip anything on the other side apart…

The door flew open.

And there was…nothing.

Flense's eyes widened in surprise.

And then he sensed the motion.

BEHIND him.

"No…" Flense whispered, and then he began to whirl around. "That's…!"

The machete pierced through his left side, driving through the armor of the apparatus and through the flesh beyond, exploding out through Flense's back, blood-slick.

"Immmmpppppooooosssssibleeeeee…" Flense whispered, as he stared at Uberjason, who had somehow appeared behind him, with no sound, no clue, no indication at all.

And why would he give such things.

Those were the rules.

* * *

Nightwalker flailed as he tried to fight Michael Myers off, but Michael ignored his blows as he continued to choke him, red spots dancing in Nightwalker's vision, and he tried to shoot Myers, but both his gauntlets were empty, of all the times for them to be like that, and he tried to reach his belt but his limbs were growing heavy, he just couldn't…put anything…together…

* * *

Uberjason looked at the piece of garbage he had finally impaled on his machete. There had been more resistance then usual, but Uberjason attributed that to the armor, and he'd gotten through that.

So Uberjason was greatly surprised when the light in Flense's eyes didn't fade and die out, but instead blazed up higher, as Flense reached up and clamped his hands onto Uberjason's mask.

"See no evil." Flense hissed.

And he drove his metal-laced thumbs into Uberjason's eyes, crushing them in a spray of black fluid, and Uberjason reared back as he was blinded, and even as he did he felt the weight go off his machete as the boy yanked himself off of it, and Uberjason swung wildly a few times, trying to find his target, before he stopped and waited, letting the nanomachines fix his eyes, his vision swiftly coming back.

He was alone: the boy had fled. But Uberjason paid that no mind. He'd struck the boy a mortal wound. All he had to do was bring him down, once and for all.

He could have done it by himself, but the spots of blood that left a trail just made it fitting. The boy had acted stupid, as all the teenagers always did.

And for that, they died.

It was the rules.

* * *

Hand and eye coordination is vital, and often needed to succeed in many things.

But sometimes just knowing things by touch is enough, as Nightwalker's hand finally seized on one of his last two ammo clips and yanked it out, the fingers fumbling but still getting it in, even as Myers began to vanish into blackness…

Nightwalker rammed the gauntlet up against the side of Myers' head and fired.

The feedback was terrible, as the point blank range caused the gauntlet to backfire and shatter, even as it blew most of Myers' ear off, as Myers let Nightwalker go and recoiled, clutching the side of his head, and the oxygen came back in a rush, striking Nightwalker like a bolt of lightning in the brain, even as his other hand seized on one of the shards of glass and picked it up, his hand protected by his glove.

But Myers could not say the same, as Nightwalker drove the shard right into Myers' groin.

Myers recoiled off Nightwalker entirely, clutching the wounded area, as Nightwalker rolled away, gasping in air. After doing that for about fifteen seconds, he finally risked a look over at Myers, only to find him thrashing and agonizing still. Well, at least he was still like a man in some aspects. And sometimes that was all that was needed to fell a monster.

Nightwalker pushed himself up, fighting off waves of dizziness, trying to figure out what he was going to do now. Just because Myers was down for the moment didn't mean he was…

Nightwalker heard the noise behind as he staggered towards the door that led to Blood's office, and he turned.

Myers was back up, as if he had turned the pain off like a switch. Nightwalker's eyes went wide. He'd been wrong. There wasn't any man left in the being before him. Nothing left but…evil itself.

Myers charged at Nightwalker, moving so fast…

The two of them crashed through the door, nearly breaking it off its hinges as Nightwalker tripped and fell, Myers nearly landing on top of him before he managed to roll away. He sprang to his feet, as he unclipped his remaining detonator. Maybe he could stick it down Myers' clothing…

Myers hit Nightwalker with a chair, causing him to go flying, the detonator flying from his hand. Nightwalker landed on Blood's desk, and Myers was on him on a flash, trying to strangle him again…

Nightwalker kicked Myers in the stomach, then spun his hips around and kicked Myers in the back of the head, then whirled around and grabbed a long pen off Blood's desk, ramming it down through Myers' hand and pinning it to the wood. Nightwalker spun back up to his feet, and noted that the bank of TV's that Blood used to keep an eye on the Hive was still on. He had an idea…

And then Myers yanked the desk up, lifting it violently with the hand pinned to it, and Nightwalker slipped and fell off, landing badly on his head and shoulders and causing more stars to go exploding through his vision.

Myers finally got his hand free and went around the desk, grabbing Nightwalker by the back of his outfit and yanking him up, putting both arms around his neck in order to break it.

But he couldn't get the right angle, as Nightwalker began to struggle furiously, kicking at Myers' feet and legs while elbowing him in the stomach and chest, operating on pure instinct. Myers thrashed Nightwalker around, trying to wring the fight from him so he could deliver the killing maneuver.

Nightwalker kicked him in the balls first. Myers' whole body spasmed, and his grip loosened…just enough, as Nightwalker's vision cleared up and he acted, as he ran forward, leapt up, planted his feet on the edge of Blood's desk, and then with every last bit of strength he had he shoved himself up and backwards, as he switched the angle of his grip so he was holding onto Myers instead of holding him off, as he flipped up and over Myers' head…

And rammed his knee into the back of Myers' head. Myers jerked forward, stumbling wildly, as Nightwalker landed, and with a scream he ran, leapt, and kicked Myers in the back as hard as he could.

Myers' head crashed through one of the TV's, and his whole body agonized as electricity coursed through him, the other TV screens, most showing static already, going to static and then exploding, as Myers jerked several more times and then went still, slumping against the shattered display.

Nightwalker stared for a moment, and then collapsed, utterly exhausted. He knelt there for a while, trying to collect himself, but his body had just about had it. Even when he got back to his feet he found his legs were rubbery and unsteady, and he needed to lean on the wall to keep his balance, as he slowly headed for the other door in Blood's office, the one that Blood and Scorcher had exited out of at the beginning, though Nightwalker didn't know that, he was just glad that they'd left the TVs on…

A slight sound came from behind him.

Nightwalker stopped, stock still.

And he realized that Myers' body hadn't faded away like the Nemesis…

Nightwalker turned around just as Myers got his arms up as a brace and pulled his head from the TV, his mask sliced and burned, but still showing those dead, emotionless eyes.

"…No." Nightwalker said again. "Damn it! You came BEFORE Jason! Stop ACTING like him!"

Myers started walking towards him, and Nightwalker turned and ran for it again, for the first time truly and utterly scared out of his mind.

* * *

Flay felt strangely calm, which was saying a lot considering that the Tall Man had targeted him personally for death. Though as per usual he sent his spheres to do the dirty work, as he whipped down two more and then was clipped by three others, each one taking a tiny bit of flesh with them, as Flay staggered back, wondering why his legs hadn't just given out yet.

And the Tall Man watched, his face fixed in an expression of great malice. Would he have to kill the boy with his own hands?

No…he would just have to hit him with the right time with a Sentinel.

And he saw no better time as Flay dodged several spheres in a row, not able to attack any of them, as the Tall Man slightly raised his passage fork.

And the sphere suddenly flew from within his clothing, shooting across the floor at an even greater speed then the usual sphere, as Flay's eyes were drawn to the movement…

It was amazing the sphere didn't make his head explode from the impact outright, as it slammed into Flay and sent him flying backwards, falling on his back, losing his last whip, as the drill began to emerge.

And much to the Tall Man's surprise, Flay fought still, clawing at the sphere and jerking his head around, as the drill tried to finish up the hole its brother had made.

Flay's eyes darted around in pure panic, as if trying to find something to help him, but all he could see was the floor and barrels and the ceilings and walls and the sphere and the Tall Man, looking down at him, waiting for the inevitable.

* * *

As Nightwalker stumbled into the training room and tripped over the remains of a Hiveborg. He fell down with a gasp, looking over his shoulder in surprise. He tried to get back up…

A wave of dizziness came over him, and he fell down again.

Myers followed him, ignoring the pain of his injuries, just like he'd ignored any attempt of his conscience to tell him what to do when he was a child, finally killing it before he'd killed his sister. And she'd just been the first of many, as he walked through the door.

A sonic cannon blast blew him off his feet.

"Thank you user friendly interface." Nightwalker said, as he aimed the arm he had commandeered for himself and fired again as Myers tried to get up, striking him in the face. Myers collapsed again, as Nightwalker prepared another shot…

And found the cannon refusing to respond. It just konked out.

"Shit!" Nightwalker said, as he tried getting up again, this time finding his mind a little clearer, and looked around, for any other weapons.

Myers sat up again.

Nightwalker was gone, as if he'd vanished. Myers stood up, and headed forward again, stepping into the room, looking around, trying to find his target…

Nightwalker dove onto Myers from the gym rope near the door, landing on his back as his gauntlet knife snapped out, as he tried to plunge it into Myers' neck. Myers stumbled around as Nightwalker attacked, missing the neck and plunging the knife into Myers' shoulder, as Myers tried to get the teen off him.

The knife hit true this time, piercing Myers' collar, Nightwalker yanking the knife out in a spurt of blood and stabbing it in again, piercing Myers' cheek through the mask, blood pumping from the wound…

Myers finally seized Nightwalker and yanked him off his shoulders and onto the floor with a powerful thud, Nightwalker's knife hitting the ground and breaking with a low snapping noise. Myers tried to stomp on him, but Nightwalker rolled away and got up, kicking at his head and chest, trying to rip open the wounds even more, as Myers grabbed for him and he danced away…

And bumped into a balance beam. Nightwalker whirled around, expecting another surprise…

And found Myers right in front of him as he turned back around.

Myers' punch rang through Nightwalker's head as it thudded into the side of his helmet, and as Nightwalker staggered to the side, Myers seized him, lifted him up again, and hurled him through the air. Nightwalker came crashing down onto a pile of gym equipment and did not move.

Myers glanced back at the balance beam that had allowed him to catch the teen…and looked at it with some surprise.

His knife was there, sticking out, as if it had been left for him.

Myers didn't look a gift horse in the mouth, as he pulled his knife free and started for Nightwalker.

* * *

"We HAVE to be getting close…" Gizmo said as he came out of the latest room, having found nothing, as Shimmer ran ahead of him, looking around the corner.

And seeing Myers pull his knife from the balance beam in the room off in the distance.

"Gizmo! There here is!" Shimmer yelled, and Gizmo ran to her side, pulling out a light laser pistol. It was the best he could muster, and besides all he had to do was get Nightwalker and then get the hell out of there, as he and Shimmer ran for the door.

Myers heard the noise, and turned to look at them. That briefly gave the pair pause, until Myers turned and started heading back for the unconscious Nightwalker. Confused, Gizmo ran a few steps further…and saw what Myers was going after.

"Ack! MOVE!" Gizmo yelled, as he ran as fast as he could, Shimmer beside him.

And then the door slammed shut in their faces.

"Oh no!" Shimmer said, as Gizmo cursed again and attacked the keypad, not even bothering to try fiddling with the buttons as he blew the pad's cover off and began fumbling around in the wires.

* * *

Myers approached his victim, not even caring that the door had mysteriously closed. It didn't matter to him. They were all going to be his. The door would just ensure one would be his a bit sooner.

Nightwalker did not move as Myers approached, but Myers didn't take as chances, as he reached down and clamped a hand down on Nightwalker's neck.

The sensation yanked Nightwalker from oblivion, as his vision cleared up…to see Myers raising his knife.

"NO!" He screamed.

The blade descended.

The hand intercepted it half a foot from Nightwalker's chest. Myers' head jerked up in surprise.

"Your luck just ran out." Jinx said, and clamped her hand on Myers' face and fired off a hex blast.

* * *

"Lousy rotten rassn frassn…" Gizmo muttered as he tried to connect the wires inside the panel.

And then it occurred to him.

"D'OH! Selinda, turn the door into something else!" Gizmo said.

"Oh! Right!" Shimmer said, as she ran up to the door and put her hands to it.

* * *

"Jinx?" Nightwalker said incredulously as Myers staggered away, his mask smoking.

"I knew you couldn't get anything done without me." Jinx said, smiling slightly, a smile that turned into an intense wince, and Nightwalker saw that while Jinx's other arm was lying limp at her side, streaked with blood.

"I thought…you were dead…" Nightwalker said as he got up.

"Probably should have been. But grabbing the side of a clock tower a few times on the way down as well as a rotten roof works wonders for death. Just turns it into a broken arm, a bunch of broken ribs, and a sprained ankle." Jinx said, and winced again as pain shot through her body. Nightwalker realized that the effort to sneak up on Myers and stop his knife must have been immense in her current state.

And she'd done it anyway. For him.

He clenched his fists tightly, as he whirled around to face Myers, who had recovered from the hex blast.

"That's IT!" Nightwalker yelled, and charged at Myers, charged on righteous rage. Myers stabbed at him, but Nightwalker dodged it and slammed a powerful punch into Myers' face.

"YOU DON'T BELONG HERE! YOU NEVER DID! GET OUT! GET OUT!" Nightwalker bellowed, hammering Myers with blows.

He hadn't learned to dodge Myers' backhand though, as Myers smacked him away and Nightwalker came crashing down next to Jinx again. Jinx looked down at him and then back at Myers, who was approaching. A hex blast drove him back, but not much.

"All right we're…Jinx!" Shimmer said as she ran over the oil she'd turned the door into and stopped when she saw the pink-haired member of the Troika.

"We're jinxed? What do you…Llarenes?" Gizmo said as he darted around Shimmer and saw her too.

"Hey Giz." Jinx said weakly.

"Where did…wait…I remember this room…" Gizmo said, as he looked around. It was the room where he had 'defeated' Uberjason, though the defeat hadn't stuck.

And then Gizmo saw Myers, still standing, battered and bloodied and burned but still going, heading for Jinx and Nightwalker.

And he had an idea.

"Selinda! Hide!" Gizmo said as he ran forward, leaving before Shimmer could reply.

"Argggghhhhhhh!" Nightwalker said as he flipped to his feet, as he slapped in his last clip of ammo. "I SAID DIE!"

Nightwalker emptied the clip into Myers, driving him back again, but he kept his feet, and as blood dribbled through his boiler suit he started forward once more, like he was stuck on 'repeat'.

Gizmo leapt up onto the balance beam and fired a few shots from his laser pistol. All it did was get Myers' attention, as Gizmo squawked and jumped off, running to where Nightwalker and Jinx were.

"Can you keep him busy?"

"I'm out of ammo, she's half dead." Nightwalker replied.

"Do it anyway! Just buy me a minute!" Gizmo said, as he ran off.

"Shit. Jinx, you stay back. You've done enough." Nightwalker said, and sprang forward, leaping onto the balance beam and flipping over Myers to kick him in the back.

"And let you get all the glory? No way." Jinx said, as she limped after the pair. She wasn't going to actually involve herself in the fight. Just get in her licks.

Nightwalker was doing a fair job of that himself, as he fired every punch and kick he knew Myers' form. Despite this, he actually LOST ground, as Myers pushed him backwards, swiping with his knife…

Nightwalker leapt up and grabbed onto something behind him, a giant rack holding a bunch of various balls for sports. Myers stabbed at him, and Nightwalker leapt off the top and over Myers…

As Jinx fired a hex blast at the bottom of it, and the rack jerked and then toppled over, slamming Myers down onto the ground as the balls went everywhere.

"Hah." Jinx said.

Then one of the bouncing basketballs hit her swollen ankle, and paint shot through Jinx's body as her leg buckled, the impact of hitting the ground hurting almost as much, a ragged cry escaping her.

"Jinx!" Nightwalker said, as he ran over to her, even as Myers grabbed the rack and shoved it off of him.

"What are you doing! Go kick his ass!" Jinx said, as Nightwalker very carefully helped Jinx up.

"After what you did for me? Forget it."

"You're supposed to be a villain dumbass. Look out for No 1 and all."

"I never was very good at being what I was supposed to be." Nightwalker replied.

"Really? What-AHHHHHHHHHH!" Jinx screamed. Nightwalker whirled, having kept his back turned too long…

The knife slash caught Nightwalker across the helmet and threw him to the ground. Jinx screamed as she tried to get away and fell down again as she put too much pressure on her ankle, as Myers loomed over her.

"STOP!" Shimmer yelled as she jumped on Myers' back. "YOU WON'T HAVE HER TOO!" The matter transmuter yelled, as she beat on Myers' chest and shoulders.

"Yes!" Gizmo said as he finished. As he had thought, his old gun was still in the room. Its fried state hadn't changed, but Gizmo had said he could possibly get it to fire one more shot. As it turned out, his swift repairs would only allow for one shot, but one shot would be all he needed, as he stood up and unzipped his boot.

Then he heard the screaming. Shimmer's screaming, and he jerked his head and found much to his surprise, instead of hiding, she was attacking Myers, somehow avoiding his counter stabs.

However, moving around to avoid said stabs caused her grip to loosen, and with a twisting jerk Myers threw her onto the ground. He immediately went after her.

"Ah crud!" Gizmo cursed as he got up from what he was doing, drawing his laser pistol as he ran over near the two. "Hey! Clownface! Forget her! I said FORGET HER!" Gizmo yelled as he shot Myers repeatedly with the low powered weapon. But it did get Myers' attention, as he looked from Shimmer to Gizmo and then back to the cowering Shimmer, then back to Gizmo when Gizmo shot him a few more times. That did it, as Myers started for the midget genius, who sighed and ran back to his gun. Well, at least he wouldn't have a hard shot, as he reached for his boot.

And realized, much to his horror, that it was empty. His eyes jerked to the footwear. His last rail driver was gone. It must have fallen out when he'd been running…

There it was, on the ground.

With Myers stepping over it and closing in on him. Gizmo yelped and sprang up, picking up the repaired gun with one hand as he shot the weak laser with the other, fleeing from Myers.

And then HIS luck ran out, for as mentioned Shimmer had turned the door of the room into oil. And three minutes hadn't passed yet.

As Gizmo stepped on a tendril of the spreading liquid and slipped, falling on his back as the working gun flew out of his hand. Stunned for a moment, he tried to get up.

Myers was on him, the knife stabbing down.

Gizmo got his gun up at the last second, bracing it under Myers' wrists, stopping the knife…for about half a second, as Myers' hell-given strength immediately began overwhelming Gizmo's desperation, as the knife slowly inched down, Gizmo screaming and cursing, and then growing silent, as the tip filled his vision…

"Hey asshole."

Myers looked up.

"Trick or treat."

Nightwalker and Jinx kicked at the same time, their boots driving into Myers' face and throwing him off Gizmo, though Jinx cried out and nearly collapsed as soon as the blow was struck, Nightwalker having to catch her again, as Gizmo sat up.

"Mikron! Here!" Shimmer yelled, as she crawled over to the rail driver and tossed it across the floor, as it came to a rest at Gizmo's feet.

A wicked grin, pure Gizmo, broke over his face, as he snatched up the rail driver even as he pressed a few buttons on his old gun, as Shimmer scrambled over to the group and Myers started getting up again.

The barrel shifted and morphed, forming into the same design he'd used on Uberjason. He always made his guns universal. After all, he was a genius, as he shoved the rail in.

Myers got to his feet, knife at his side, as he looked at the four, his black eyes staring into their souls…

And into the barrel of the enlarged rail.

"Trick." Gizmo said.

The rail shot across the room, impaling through Myers and carrying him all the way across to the opposite wall, where it impaled itself, leaving Myers stuck there.

Gizmo got to his own feet, as Myers jerked and struggled, just a bit more, looking upon the four…

And then he went limp, his knife clattering to the ground.

And from somewhere, the piano music played, as the four let out a breath of relief…and then another one as Michael's body began to fade away, eventually just leaving the length of metal that had destroyed him.

"You know Selinda…" Gizmo said, as he dropped the now entirely worthless gun. "When you'd jumped on him you could have just turned him into tofu or something."

"…Oh yeah…oops…" Selinda said.

"I guess whoever's in charge prefers drama." Nightwalker commented, as the music continued on.

Strangely, Nightwalker found it quite natural.

* * *

The sphere smashed to the ground as Flay yanked it out and slammed it down. Once again, he began getting up.

The Tall Man was, for once, aghast, as he watched the rising child. It was impossible. He simply could not keep escaping death. Not with his injuries, not with what the Tall Man commanded…a command he realized he would have to completely, utterly bring to bear.

He raised the fork.

Belinda and her last two men, pinned down behind some boxes, were quite surprised when 2/3 of the spheres trying to kill them suddenly veered off and went to the Tall Man, even as more spheres appeared around him.

Flay stared at the sight, and realized this was it. He was done. Alone, cut off, his only weapon a whip, nothing even around him to…

Wait a second.

A flash of memory came to Flay, images from when he was jerking his head around.

Words, blurry and upside down…but they had stuck with him.

"Boyyyyyyyyyyyy…" The Tall Man snarled, as the spheres gathered around him. "You should have let it go. Now your death will be ugly beyond compare."

"Look who's talking." Flay retorted. The Tall Man's face screwed up in the omnipresent squint.

"Enjoy the last use of your mocking tongue. It will spend the rest of eternity in a jar." The Tall Man said.

Jar…the word struck Flay's mind. Jar…container…barrel…the words were written on a barrel…a barrel that was…

And then it came to Flay. The words.

LIQUID COOLANT.

_He doesn't like the cold!_

And much to his surprise, Flay chuckled.

"Well then, what are you waiting for? Maybe you're afraid to strike, thinking that somehow I'll still win?" Flay said, putting on an air of suicidal courage.

That squint again, as the spheres readied themselves…

"You cannot win boy. You never could. For all your effort, your skill, your attempts, you are just A BOY! AND I AM DEATH!" The Tall Man proclaimed.

The spheres flew.

And Flay turned and dove, somehow avoiding all the spheres, as he reached up and uncoiled the anti-grav whip, praying for it to work, as he uncoiled it even as he hit the ground again and leapt to his feet, feeling the whip come alive in his hands, as he lashed it out.

"NO!" Flay yelled, as the whip coiled around the barrel.

And yanked it up and through the air like it weighed nothing, flying at the Tall Man, as Flay turned and dove one last time.

"YOU!"

Flay grabbed up the whip on the ground as he landed on his hands.

"ARE!"

Flay sprang off his hands and flipped his body over, as the Tall Man raised a hand and stopped the barrel.

He too saw what was written, and his eyes went wide.

"DEAD!"

Flay slashed the barrel in half with the whip.

The liquid sprayed out, the Tall Man becoming engulfed in white mist as he bellowed in rage, his form vanishing as Flay landed and all the spheres homed in on him.

And then they stopped, floating in mid air.

Confused, Belinda poked her head out from under cover to find the spheres attacking her had stopped as well, frozen in limbo.

Flay lowered his whip, as the mist cleared and revealed the Tall Man, frozen in a statue, a look of disbelief etched on his face.

Flay lowered his head, staring at the ground.

The best are remembered…

And then Flay heard the cracking, and his head jerked up as he saw the spiderweb of cracks race across the Tall Man's face.

His head exploded, as a golden sphere flew out, blades snapping out as it lanced for Flay's head.

The whip cracked out, knocking the master sphere to the side, the orb spinning drunkenly as it tried to correct its position…

The whip ends lashed out again, coiling around it.

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Flay bellowed, as he swung the sphere up and then brought it down as hard as he could on the frozen remains of the Tall Man, smashing the body to dust as he slammed the sphere into the pool of still evaporating coolant at the body's feet, the sphere freezing and shattering in an explosion of light.

And then all the other spheres lost power, falling to the ground, clattering down around Flay.

Flay called his whip back to him, looking at the remains.

Then, in one smooth motion, he wrapped his whip around his hands a few times and then sat down, legs crossed, a look of peaceful contentment on his face.

"…Whoo hoo! Great work kid!" Kane said, bounding out from behind the barrier of boxes.

"Kane! Careful!" Belinda snapped.

"It's ok! We won! Look!" Kane said, pointing to a fallen sphere. Indeed, they were fading away, all of them were, as well as the Tall Man's remains. "So much for the evil butler! He should have just settled for serving us crackers!"

"…Heh. What do you know? The kid pulled it off." Belinda said.

"Well, what would we expect from a H.A.E.Y.P member? You did good kid!" Kane said, as he walked up to Flay and clapped him on the shoulder.

Flay didn't respond.

"Hey what the…kid?" Kane said. "Kid?"

Silence.

Belinda approached as well, as Kane looked at her in confusion. She wasn't confused, as she knelt down and felt at Flay's neck.

Kane watched as she shook her head.

"…No…" Kane said. "But…he…"

"His heart couldn't take it I guess. His pushed his body as far as it could go, and in the end that was off a cliff." Belinda said sadly. Patrick didn't say anything, he just lowered his head.

"But…but…!" Kane said.

"This is why no one should ever try and be a hero Kane." Belinda said bitterly. "This shit happens."

Belinda sighed, and looked at Flay again, sitting there, as if he was just resting.

"Godspeed kid." Belinda said, and saluted him.

Flay's body sat there, unresponsive…but from the look on his face, Belinda knew he had no regrets.

* * *

The basement was larger then he thought, but Jason knew he was getting close, following the blood trail as it wound deeper into the basement…

And finally came to an end, in a room with a single overhanging lightbulb that dead-ended, no more doors.

Flense lay at the end of it, on one knee, leaning on the wall behind him and breathing raggedly, holding his chest, blood dripping between his fingers. Though the lone lightbulb cast most of the room in shadow, Uberjason could see Flense just fine.

"Well…you found me…I suppose…I shouldn't be…fucking…surprised." Flense said. The cockiness was gone from his voice, replaced by a dull resignation.

Uberjason started for him.

"STOP!" Flense said, holding up a hand. "You win! But before you fucking off me, you better damn well listen to me!"

And incredibly, Jason stopped. Flense lowered his arm.

"What do you think you're doing, moron?"

Jason cocked his head.

"Your mother's dead. You can kill every teenager in the world and it wouldn't bring her back. She's dead you fucking dipshit."

Uberjason glared at Flense.

"Really, think about it, if you can, and since you stopped, you clearly have SOME ability to think. Every time you come back, every time you slaughter a new group of kids, what she did is dragged up all over again. She went bonkers and killed for you Jason. And then you started killing. But there comes a time when it has to stop. But you just keep bringing it back up. You and only you Jason, like a fucking record. WHY?"

Uberjason just stared, though he gave the impression that said "You babble about this and you call ME stupid?"

"You think this is about your mother? Fuck no. You do this because you get off on it and nothing more. And I know damn well that eventually yanking your crank just won't do it any more. That why you kill fucking teens so much, eh Jason? Because they actually know how to have some fun without needing a body count? Do you hate them or envy them, eh, you fucking retard?"

Uberjason apparently decided that was enough talk and stalked towards Flense, who pushed himself off the wall and glared at Uberjason.

"I know when I'm beaten. It rarely happened in my life, but I know when I'm outmatched. So go ahead Jason. Add me to your list. I'll die knowing that at least my life had a purpose, at least I had some fun. You? You're just a fucker. And you damn well know it. So come on, you son of a bitch!" Flense said, as he raised his arms. "I'll see you in hell."

Uberjason slashed out with his machete.

It tore through Flense's body.

Without leaving a mark.

Uberjason stared, and then slashed again, and again.

The blade clipped through Flense's form without any effect. It wasn't him, as Flense smiled wickedly and then disappeared.

As he stepped out from behind Uberjason, having hidden in the shadows, and held out a long remote like device, as Uberjason turned around.

And the room lit up as twin walls of machinery came to life, immensely complicated slabs of metal and cybernetics, Jason between them, where Flense had lured him with his hologram, the machinery lighting up even more as Uberjason looked around, and then he stalked towards Flense, determined to do what the fake had claimed was all he could do: kill, and kill in the way only he could.

Flense said nothing, as he looked upon Uberjason for a second, and then without a word pressed another button.

And Gizmo's Intrinsic Field Remover flared to full life and activated.

Uberjason found himself caught and frozen in the light, the blinding light, brighter then he had ever seen, so bright it even counteracted his darkness, and as Flense watched, somehow staring into the brightness, he raised his machete and made one last effort to step forward…

And then he disintegrated, his metal and plastic and flesh burning away from his bones, and then the bones vanishing as the light grew even brighter, filling the whole room and consuming it with radiance.

And then the device whirred down, as Flense took his hand away from his face and opened his eyes, the last surge too much even for him, as he blinked and looked before him once more.

Uberjason was gone, torn apart at a molecular level. Even the mightiest creatures couldn't survive the removal of their innate intrinsic field.

Which is why Flense was so shocked when he looked down and saw Jason's metal mask and machete lying on the ground.

He nearly had a heart attack. How had THOSE survived? It should have vaporized EVERYTHING…

And then, as Flense watched, the mask and machete began to fade away, disappearing. Just a final touch of the dramatic.

_CH CH CH AH AH AH…_

Flense lowered the arm and tossed the remote down. He'd done it. He'd wiped Uberjason from the face of the Earth.

Though…as he put his hand to his chest and brought it back wet with blood, not without cost.

He felt so tired…

"…The many men so beautiful…" Flense said, as he staggered and fell to his knees. "And they all dead did lie…and a thousand thousand slimy things lived on…and so did…I…"

Flense fell on his face. He did not move again.

And then, the room seemed to grow a bit brighter, as part of the shadows seemed to shift away and flow down the hall.

It was very, very angry.


	12. Vengeful

Part 12: Vengeful

It was surprisingly uneventful after that. That didn't keep it from being terrible.

Jinx could barely walk, but Nightwalker, despite his own injuries, had no problem letting her lean on him, while Gizmo commented that they needed her to be looked at. Out of danger for the moment, Shimmer had withdrawn into an exhausted sorrow: maybe they could find an exit now, but her brother was gone.

And then Gizmo had to go and ruin that thought when Shimmer suggested they find a way out.

"There is no way out." Gizmo said, and briefly explained his discovery of the shield and his failed attempt to shut it down. When Jinx and Nightwalker told him about their rainy clock tower experience (with Jinx expressing approval over what Nightwalker had done to Leatherface), Gizmo had pointed out that said rainfall had coincided with his failed attempt to shut down the computer.

"So…how do we escape?" Jinx asked.

"Well, the shield should be due to run out of power soon."

"How soon?"

"You got me, I've completely lost track of time. It could be 3:00 AM or 5:30 AM for all I know."

"I told Blood that a watch should be part of our gear." Came the new voice, as everyone jumped, Nightwalker even aiming his now empty gauntlet at the sound, as Belinda appeared in a side hallway.

"Huh. A drone survived. Amazing." Jinx said.

"Shut up." Belinda retorted, clearly in a bad mood. "Is there anyone else with you?"

"Just us." Nightwalker said. "We saw Jason chase another one of our numbers off earlier, and we haven't seen them since. So he's iffy."

"Jason? You mean Voorhees?"

"Oh yeah." Gizmo lamented.

"We had our own problems. Come on." Belinda said, turning and walking away, as if she expected the Hive kids to follow her.

In the end, they did. They couldn't think of anything else to do.

* * *

Flay's body was under a sheet, a sheet Nightwalker sadly lowered back over him. Flay had seemed like a decent person: the fact that he'd sacrificed his life for the last three Hive drones certainly attested to that. Jinx was resting, while Shimmer sat nearby, staring off into space. Jinx could tell she was hurting, and tried to help.

"So um…what's that?" Jinx said, pointing to the Camera Obscura that still hung around Shimmer's neck.

"The Camera Obscura. It's from a video game. It dispels ghosts." Shimmer replied dully.

"Oh…was it helpful?" Jinx reached.

"No. It's out of film." Shimmer replied, and went back to staring. Jinx found she couldn't think of anything else to say, and went back to resting. Nearby, Gizmo conversed with the drones.

"So where IS Blood?" Kane asked.

"I have no idea. I haven't seen him since before this shit began. I can only assume the opening incident killed him or something else did."

"May have been the opening incident." Nightwalker said, as he began to relate what Zippy had told him…and then remembered Zippy.

"Oh damn! I got so distracted…we have to go look for her!"

"And run into something else? You can count me out." Kane said.

"I don't know. It's been pretty quiet. I think that with Myers and your Tall Man down, there might just be Jason left. And even he needs a doorway or some shadows to appear in: if you stand back to back in the middle of the room you should be ok." Nightwalker said. "But I want to go back. If I have to, I'll go alone."

"Are you armed?" Belinda asked.

"I am a weapon."

"Ha ha. Seriously."

"I have some C4 in this pack. Besides that, no. I'll still go alone if necessary."

"Shit no. Assuming that the people in this room are the last survivors, this night has already resulted in near-total losses for the Hive. I don't want that to shrink even more." Gizmo said, as he pulled out a new gun, one he'd constructed from a few spare parts in a nearby weapons room, much better then the weak one he'd had before.

"Fine. Any of you have any medical training?" Nightwalker asked. Kane and Belinda raised their hand. "Jinx is pretty badly hurt. There's a med room nearby, see if you can help her. If you're worried, have everyone stay in it, I'm going to find Zippy." Nightwalker said, and a few moments later he and Gizmo were heading off.

"Dumb kids." Belinda commented.

* * *

And somewhere else, a room was being torn apart. Not by a monster, but by a particularly addled teen.

"Batteries! Come on! You'd think this was a desert island, not a friggin base!" Buzz Bomb said, as he pulled apart another box and pawed through the contents. "I have had enough, there has GOT to be…"

A slight sound came from Buzz Bomb's side.

Once again, Mittens escaped death when Buzz Bomb tried to blow whatever made the motion away.

"The damn CAT AGAIN? COME ON! THIS STOPPED BEING FUNNY BACK IN THE FIFTH CHAPTER, IF IT WAS EVER FUNNY IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Buzz Bomb yelled, as Mittens ran away, perhaps by now contemplating to never approach anyone for food ever again. Buzz Bomb grabbed another box and turned it upside down, the contents scattering around the floor…

Including several familiar plastic packages.

"FINALLY!" Buzz Bomb screamed, as he snatched up the battery pack. "Now, the power is MINE! Mwahahahahahaha! MUWAHAHAHAHHAHA. Hmmmmm no, Myers always managed a better baritone…" Buzz Bomb said as he tore open the package and yanked out his remote, removing the back and snapping the batteries in. The remote finally activated. "YES! YES! MUHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ah there we go! Now I have the power! Time for them to know it!" Buzz Bomb rejoiced, as he fired up his wings and flew out of the room, eager to find the remaining Hive members.

* * *

The only good thing was that on the way to the dorms, Gizmo and Nightwalker passed by Blood's head office, which allowed Nightwalker to go in and retrieve his detonator.

That was the last good thing, as they made their way to Zippy's room…and found just what Wilby had found. It produced retching from Gizmo, while Nightwalker stared at it for a long while…and then fell on his rear end.

"…why…" He said to himself.

"…I don't know man. I'm sorry." Gizmo said, having managed to recover from his nausea. "I've been in this villain business a lot longer then you, and I know something: you can't save them all. You did what you could. Let's go. We shouldn't hang around here, just in case."

"Wait…Rocko. She's here too. We should…at least tell her." Nightwalker said, as he got up, taking one last look at the carnage inside Wilby's room before closing the door and moving on.

What lay inside Nightwalker's room some halls away was cleaner but no less heartbreaking. All that lay where Rocko had sat was a pile of stones, without a flicker of movement or life. Nightwalker and Gizmo yelled, kicked, and moved the stones around for several minutes, thinking that maybe, just maybe, that might bring Rocko back from whatever oblivion she was in, but there was no response.

"…I thought she just wanted a nap. That she couldn't die." Nightwalker eventually said.

"Everyone dies." Gizmo replied. "I guess if anything could kill the blockhead, it would be this environment."

Nightwalker sighed again.

"Let's go." Nightwalker said, and left the room. He was so downed he didn't even bother to take any more ammo.

The journey back to the room where the others had been left was peaceful: no creatures leapt from the shadows, no monsters came from the doorways, no slashers emerged seeking blood and death. It looked like the night was finally done.

Though Patrick the drone was still a little high strung, as he nearly blew Nightwalker and Gizmo away when they walked through the door. Gizmo started, but Nightwalker just waved him away and headed for the medical room.

"Your friend is a complainer, but we patched her up." Belinda said, as Kane finished setting up an arm sling for Jinx. "We taped her ankle, so she should be able to walk for now, albeit not without pain."

"Can I run?" Jinx asked.

"You remember that 'not without pain' part? Same thing, except more so."

"I can live with that." Jinx said, setting her feet down and wincing a bit.

"You alright Llarenes?" Nightwalker asked.

"Weren't you listening? Duh." Jinx said, and grinned brightly despite herself. It faded though, as she blinked. "Man I feel tired…too much death-escaping for one night…"

Nightwalker was about to say something, when Kane nudged his shoulder. From his expression, it was clear that Kane wanted to talk to him.

"I'm going to go check on Shimmer Jinx."

"Ok." Jinx said, as she sat back down on the medical padded table, leaning against the wall, as Nightwalker walked off. Kane followed him.

"Yes?"

"You seemed close to her…so I figured I should tell you." Kane said. Nightwalker suddenly felt his guts clench: he wasn't going to like this.

"We managed to set her injuries…arm, ankle, and such…but I'm afraid X-rays show worse then broken ribs. She's bleeding internally."

"…Well why are you telling me!"

"We can't stop the bleeding." Belinda said as she suddenly appeared by his side. Nightwalker looked at her, and even with the helmet Belinda could tell he realized what she meant.

"But…no…I mean…you…"

"We have basic medical training. We are not medics or doctors. Chances are our medics and doctors are all dead. And with us still trapped in the building…sorry kid."

"We thought…maybe you should tell her. We can't do anything else without killing her outright." Kane said.

Nightwalker's face glanced back and forth between the two…and then his shoulders slumped.

"How long?"

"She's already feeling the effects. I don't think it will be painful…but all I can recommend is that you find her a comfortable place and let her stay there. Probably for the best." Belinda said.

Nightwalker looked back at Jinx, leaning on the wall, looking off in the distance, as if all she wanted to do was leave…never realizing she never would.

"…I don't think I can tell her." Nightwalker said.

"I'll do it."

Gizmo's voice startled everyone, as they looked down at him.

"She's my teammate. I think maybe I can get her to understand the best." Gizmo said. He sighed himself, and made a furtive movement that might have been pushing away a tear or might have just been a random facial touch. "Here's what we're going to do. We'll go back across the Hive, go to the dorms at the other end, drop her off there, and then we'll go back to the TV room. The roof's blown out, we can climb out through it and at least get the heck out of the base. When the shield goes, we get out of here as fast as possible. Sound good?"

Everyone nodded.

"Ok then, let's go."

And so a few minutes later the survivors set out, Belinda and Patrick in the front, then Nightwalker helping Jinx (Belinda had asked him to help them up front, but after revealing that all he had left in terms of weaponry was a detonator and some leftover C4, she'd told him to help Jinx instead), then Shimmer, still walking like she was in a dream, and with Gizmo and Kane bringing up the rear. They walked for a bit, without anything bothering them.

Despite what he said, Gizmo hadn't told Jinx. At least not yet, but he figured that with the calm of the moment, he would be able to work up the guts to eventually.

It was that calm that kept Belinda and Patrick from shooting Buzz Bomb when he appeared in front of them in the hallway. He was, of all things, leaning casually on the wall, like he was waiting for a bus. Nightwalker noted that if this wasn't the hall where he had earlier encountered Betelgeuse, it was damn similar in its width and design.

"So, our errant coward survived. Who knew?" Belinda said.

"Henh. Keep saying that. You won't get much longer to." Buzz Bomb said, smirking. General confused expressions crossed everyone's face.

"Listen up! I have something to say!" Buzz Bomb said as he shoved off the wall.

"Not interested in hearing it. Move it or get left behind." Belinda replied.

"Oh no, I think you'll all be very interested in standing still soon." Buzz Bomb, as he flew up and past Belinda and Patrick, popping himself down near Gizmo and Kane, as he pulled out a remote like device.

"VERY interested." He said.

Nightwalker had a feeling that despite everything that had already happened, it was about to get worse.

* * *

How could it be bested, AGAIN?

The last time could be written off as a fluke of luck. It was new, unexpected, and with men and women of character, people who could easily fall into the survivor archetypes. This time was supposed to be different.

And yet it had lost, again. They had all fallen, again, slain by the sinners. The fact that they had taken most of the number down meant nothing to it: it expected to claim them all.

And claim them it would!

The darkness flowed down the hallways, pulled from the rooms, all drawn back to the nexus point, as it focused on a TV that had once again moved out to the center of the room, as the darkness gathered around it, as if it was drawing it in.

Taking what remained and merging together with it.

It was through fucking around.

The children would DIE!

The TV snapped on, hissing static.

* * *

"Look Buzzhole, we don't have…" Gizmo said.

"SILENCE!" Buzz Bomb shrieked, as he aimed his remote at the wall. He'd had to do this manually last time, but with batteries his device eliminated that need, as he aimed it at the wall and pressed a button.

A section snapped off and slid aside on rails, revealing another square plastic box, about the size of a small TV. It clearly wasn't part of the original Hive design.

"What? What's with the box?" Jinx asked.

"Oh I could go on and on for hours on the genius enclosed within this device, but I know you would all tell me to shove it! Because that's what you ALWAYS do! Well, no more! My revenge is at hand, and the shoe is on the other foot!"

"He's gone nuts. Shall I shoot him?" Belinda said, aiming her gun.

"Considering it." Gizmo replied.

"NO ONE IS SHOOTING ME! Because I have the power! This is no box! It's a bomb! And scattered throughout the whole Hive are boxes just like it, and all of them all controlled by THIS! I press the button, and we all go BOOM!" Buzz Bomb said, thrusting his remote triumphantly up.

The realization came to all of the remaining Hive members at roughly the same time: Buzz Bomb had wired the whole place to blow. No wonder he had bragged about a secret weapon, and had been so eager to find batteries. Now that he had them, the power literally was in his hand.

All the drones and Gizmo aimed their guns at him.

"AH AH! This has a hair trigger! Guns down! NOW!" Buzz Bomb ordered. The four looked at each other, and then in great disgust lowered their guns. Buzz Bomb cackled, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Buzz…" Gizmo said.

"Be QUIET, MIKRON! I HAVE THE POWER! GET ON YOUR KNEES!"

"Buzz…"

"KNEES! NOW!"

With more exasperation then fear, Gizmo got on his knees.

"Buzz…"

"Silence! You will call me master!"

"Oh fuck this." Nightwalker said, as he slipped himself out from under Jinx's arm, Shimmer taking his place to hold her as he took a step forward. "Buzz Bomb, give me the remote."

"Oh no! I've worked for a YEAR for this moment, and no force can stop me now!"

"Have you learned how to teleport?" Nightwalker asked.

"Don't be silly! If I could, I'd have left hours ago!"

"Are you wearing an explosion proof suit?"

"Mostly, yes!"

"The suit with all the cracks and dings from fighting monsters?" Gizmo said from where he was crouched, Kane having moved away from him and back to Belinda and Patrick's side, as if they were trying to think up their own plan.

"SILENCE! I AM YOUR MASTER!"

"Your suit is pretty banged up Buzz. I wouldn't be putting it to the test at the moment. Give me the remote." Nightwalker said.

"…Ooooh no! Villain's creed article six: logic shall never sway a villain!" Buzz Bomb retorted.

"You idiot! If you blow us up, YOU BLOW YOURSELF UP!" Nightwalker snapped.

"He's right Buzz Bomb. Did you survive, somehow, all this crud to commit suicide?"

"Oh, you're not going to talk me down from this! I've EARNED it!" Buzz Bomb cackled again.

"Fine." Nightwalker said, snapping up his remaining gauntlet. "Hand it over or get hurt."

"I can press this button before you can fire!"

"I don't think so." Nightwalker said coolly. "Drop it."

"Forget it! You think you can beat me to the punch! SHOOT!"

A dead silence.

And then Nightwalker lowered his arm, unable to believe the nutcase in front of him had called his bluff. Buzz Bomb cackled once more.

"Hee hee hee hee hee…at last, I have the power! For the first time in my life, I am the one in charge! You will bow to me! My word will be divine fiat and I will be worshipped as though I were a god! I will destroy everything you care about, unless you bow to my most hideous and vain whims! Chicks will dig me! Men will envy me!"

"You think a few bombs can do all that?" Nightwalker said in disgust.

"It's all about scale! Nobody left standing can stop me before I push the button. Nobody left standing can get away before I push the button. So right here and now, I have the power!"

"Power you forfeit in death if you actually try and exert it." Nightwalker said.

"Hey, for me its win/win! If I push the button, I never have to put up with you bastards ever again! If I don't, you are all under my power!"

Gizmo smacked his forehead, muttering about how he would consider going over to the side of the hero, as long as they actually had common sense…

And then his motion detector started beeping. Gizmo glanced down at it, and then at Buzz Bomb, who was too busy glorifying himself to notice Gizmo. Gizmo unclipped the device and looked at it. One signal, heading their way.

"Guys…." Gizmo said.

"Be quiet! No more talking! There is only one game in town now! And the name of that game is, MAKE BUZZ BOMB HAPPY." Buzz Bomb exulted. "First, you will provide me with any and all amounts of caffeine, on demand, double time! Second…!"

Gizmo turned around, ignoring Buzz Bomb as he looked at the signal, which was closing in rapidly…too rapidly. It was like it was moving right through solid objects…

And then it stepped out from the shadows in front of Gizmo.

When Gizmo realized what it was, he didn't even fire a shot. His gun dropped from numb fingers.

"Forth, I will be allowed to camp and snipe in Counter-Strike, and no one will call me a hacker or a noob…" Buzz Bomb was saying.

"RUN!" Gizmo screamed, and everyone's head jerked towards the teen as he backed up. "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! JUST RUN! JUST…" Gizmo said, as his words cut off in violent coughing, as he clawed at his throat, choking…and then he fell over, his face locked in agonized fear, water trickling from his mouth, dead.

Revealing the figure standing in front of him, as she lowered her arm. And there was no mistaking her.

"…Samara." Shimmer squeaked.

"…No." Jinx said, as she too looked at the girl, clad in a long white dress, her black hair over her face…a girl that was just a bit too tall, a bit too willowy. It wasn't Samara, from _The Ring._

"Sadako." Jinx said. From the original Japanese film, _Ringu._ And considered, in terms of scares, to be far worse.

"Hey new girl, nice start!" Buzz Bomb said, giving Sadako a thumbs up. "Now get that Nightwalker guy next. Something just doesn't rub me right about him."

And Nightwalker took advantage of Buzz Bomb's distraction to dash forward and snatch the device from his hand.

"NO!" Buzz Bomb screamed, as Nightwalker reared back and smashed it against the wall (sideways to avoid hitting any buttons), shattering the device. "NO! MY PLAN! MONTHS OF PLOTTING, MONTHS OF NO SLEEP, A RAPID HEARTBEAT AND TYPE 2 DIABETES! ITS NOT FAIR DAMMIT!"

"RUN YOU IDIOT!" Nightwalker snarled back as he grabbed Buzz Bomb and almost tossed him up the hallway, away from Sadako, who had begun to approach, her slow crawl somehow even more menacing then all the walkers who had come before her, as Nightwalker shoved Buzz Bomb past the three drones, who had moved in front of Jinx and Shimmer. "Come on, let's move!"

"Forget it! I've had enough of running!" Kane said, as he snapped a clip into his machine gun.

"Kane WAIT!" Belinda screamed.

"SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!"

Kane opened fire on Sadako.

Not a single shot hit her, every bullet flying away from the vengeful spirit, bouncing off the walls and turning the hallway into a dodgeball game of death. A bullet exploded through Belinda's knee, and she went down with a scream, even as Kane panicked and continued to fire, screaming in defiance, a defiance that was turning into terror.

Sadako shifted, and her hair parted, just a bit, revealing an eye so black and damned it was like staring into hell.

And then a bullet bounced off the wall and made a small pinhole in Kane's forehead just above his left eye. Kane whimpered, and then collapsed to the ground.

And Sadako kept approaching.

"Arggghhhh! Oh no!" Belinda snarled as she writhed over her ruined knee. She damn sure wasn't going to be able to run away now.

And then hands encircled under her armpits, as Nightwalker tried to drag her away. Her response was to punch him in the face.

"Hey!"

"Forget me! Just GO!" Belinda rasped. Nightwalker stared at her, and then she reached up and shoved her gun into his hands.

"Take this!"

…even as she grabbed for his belt.

"Leave me this!" Belinda snapped, yanking off the C4 bag. "Now GO! RUN!"

"Aye aye Captain." Nightwalker said, and ran off, Shimmer helping Jinx as Nightwalker shoved Buzz Bomb along.

Nightwalker stopped suddenly, and then turned around.

"Captain, wait!" Nightwalker yelled.

Belinda couldn't hear him, as she looked upon the face (so to speak) of the approaching Sadako, and already she could feel a tightening in her lungs, but she'd be damned if she went down with a whimper, as she snapped open the bag.

And found, to her horror, that there were no detonation charges in the satchel. It was what Nightwalker had tried to scream to her. Belinda stared in shock, and then looked back up at Sadako, realizing she was dead.

And then a hand held something in front of her. Nightwalker's last detonator. She jerked her head, seeing it was Patrick.

"I thought I told you to run soldier!"

"I guess I'm just an idiot sir." Patrick replied, and then Belinda saw the wound, in the left center of Patrick's chest. Another ricochet had got him: the fact that he was still standing was amazing. But he wouldn't last much longer.

So he'd come back.

As Sadako came for both of them.

"HURRY! THIS IS GONNA BE BIG!" Nightwalker yelled, as the four of them ran through a door…and exited into the same bomb-blasted room where he and Jinx had gone through with Leatherface earlier. "HURRY!"

"Heunh. You always were an idiot Patrick." Belinda said, as she pressed the blue button. She curled her hand around the device, as Patrick put his hand around hers, and once again, as Sadako stepped up.

Her eye glared…

The whole hallway went up in the blast, and then the explosion ignited Buzz Bomb's exposed bomb and quadrupled the power, consuming the whole hallway and a few around it in a raging inferno, the shockwave shaking the whole base.

And causing half the floor in the blasted room to cave into the basement, the remaining floor lurching violently and throwing everyone off balance…and causing Shimmer to lose her grip on Jinx, as she slipped and fell off the edge.

"Llarenes!" Shimmer cried, lunging for Jinx, and just managing to grab her good ankle as she fell off the edge…and was nearly dragged off the edge herself, as Jinx dangled precarious over a dark floor covered with broken, shattered metal: she'd be turned into a pincushion if she fell. "Hang on!"

Shimmer slipped some more, almost completely falling off.

"Let me go Shimmer! You'll fall too!"

"No! No more death!" Shimmer yelled.

"No." Nightwalker said, as he was suddenly next to Shimmer, reaching down and grabbing Jinx's ankle as well. The weight lessened, Shimmer was able to pull herself back, as the two of them pulled Jinx up. It wasn't until later Jinx realized they'd both gotten one hell of a view up her skirt, but modesty wasn't the first thing on her mind.

"Thank you!" Jinx said when she was back on solid ground.

"Last time didn't work out so well." Nightwalker replied, and then the solid ground proved to not be so solid as it lurched violently, and the three Hive members looked at each other and then ran for the door out of the room, Nightwalker snatching up Belinda's and Patrick's guns, the latter having also been given to him before Patrick had gone back to die. There was a bag attached to it: Nightwalker had a feeling he knew what was in it.

Buzz Bomb was already at the door, hammering on it and screaming for it to let him through. In disgust, Nightwalker shoved him out of the way.

"Shimmer!" He ordered. A few seconds later, the steel door was a water puddle, the remaining four survivors running through it and into the stable hallway beyond as the rest of the floor collapsed, sending a cloud of dust poofing through the open door.

"You could have helped pull us up." Jinx said to Buzz Bomb.

"Could have, but then I wouldn't have gotten the chance to…uh…weaken the door…for her." Buzz Bomb said, pointing to Shimmer. Jinx made a noise of disgust.

"Is she gone?" Shimmer said, clearly terrified.

"I don't know. At least the bullets had some effect on previous monsters. She didn't even notice them." Nightwalker replied, as he snapped the clip out of each gun and looked at the ammo capacity. Nearly full for each one. Good, he supposed. Nightwalker then checked the bag and found more clips, which is what he expected. He took three and left the rest for the sake of weight, as he slung one gun around his back and armed up the other.

"And why did she use water?" Jinx asked. Everyone looked at her.

"Isn't she supposed to?" Shimmer replied.

"No, I saw both versions. Sadako's curse was the product of a virus. It was Samara who introduced the whole water and drowning aspect. But Gizmo…oh man Gizmo…he…he drowned. Why is Sadako acting like Samara?" Jinx said

"Poor research on part by the author?" Buzz Bomb volunteered. Everyone glared at him.

"I was in the video game room when this while thing happened. All of us were, except you Jinx. You're the only one who might know, if you saw anything in the movie room." Nightwalker said.

"I…wasn't really paying attention…I was…eating…" Jinx said. "But I did…take a look…but I can't…"

"_The Ring _and _Ringu_ were sitting on a VCR next to each other." Buzz Bomb said. Once again every stared at him. "I noticed because I was cowering in that room behind the TV set a while ago, avoiding a monster. It was the only TV not wrecked, surprisingly."

"…So they were NEXT to each other?" Shimmer asked.

"What did I just say?"

"So…what? Samara and Sadako have MERGED?" Nightwalker said incredulously.

"You see any monsters since our last battles? Or any change in the atmosphere? I think we beat them all Nightwalker. And I think that the force behind this is pretty damn pissed. And it wants to win. What's better then two powerful spirits of vengeance? One COMBINED one." Jinx said. She was making it up as she went along, but as she spoke the words seemed to gell in her head, as if she knew they were correct.

"So what do we do?" Shimmer asked.

And then she came from the dust, walking through the doorway, as Sadako emerged from the chaos, not a hair out of place. The explosion hadn't affected her in the slightest.

Everyone stared at her in shock and fear. At least for a second.

"RUN!" Nightwalker yelled, as the four broke down the hallway, Shimmer and Nightwalker helping Jinx, as Sadako followed them, hunting them down.

The four rounded the corner.

And the new figure loomed in front of them, making everyone stop with a scream.

As the voice whispered through the hallways.

_"Everyone will suffer."_

To Be Concluded, On Halloween!


	13. End

Part 13: End

The figure had stepped from the doorway, his form awash in the shadows, and everyone stopped with the aforementioned scream.

Which made Brother Blood wince.

"QUIET!" He bellowed. "Have some freakin' control!"

"Headmaster!" Jinx said.

"Yes! A figure of real authority! We're saved!" Buzz Bomb celebrated.

"Quiet! What's going on…hold it!" Brother Blood said, grabbing Nightwalker as he tried to push past him. "Where are YOU going?"

"Sir, we can't stay here!" Nightwalker yelled.

"Oh no, no one's going anywhere until you tell me why NONE OF YOU INGRATES CAME TO RESCUE ME! That damn cave-in shorted out half my systems! It took me hours to dig my way out! And now I find the whole school's abandoned, half of it's been blown up or lit on fire, there's blood everywhere, and not a single student to be found! So you better have a damn good explanation…!"

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY!" Nightwalker screamed as he shoved Blood aside and ran for it, Blood's eyes going wide with confusion and then darkening with rage as he spun around.

"YOU IMPUDENT SCALLYWAG! I'll have you lick the dirt from my bo…what?" Blood said, his attempted mental command interrupted when Jinx and Shimmer also pushed past him and ran for it.

"YOU BETTER RUN HEADMASTER!" Jinx called over her shoulder. A second later Buzz Bomb zipped past Blood as well.

"The whore has a point sir!" Buzz Bomb said, flying off, as Blood grit his teeth so hard he could feel his jaw cracking.

"WHAT KIND OF A SCHOOL IS THIS! I trained you! WHAT ARE YOU…" Blood said as he whirled around.

And found himself face to face with Sadako.

"Who in blue blazes are YOU?"

Sadako glanced up.

Blood stared into that black eye, and then a horrific pain suddenly exploded through his chest. He staggered back, clutching it, even as Sadako walked forward, and Blood could feel the pressure building up even more, his powers refusing to come to him, as the pain grew even stronger…

"…You know, I don't know you, and you appear to have just stabbed me in my chest…but I have a feeling you're better then any of my graduates will ever be." Blood said.

Water exploded from Blood's chest, his systems shorting out and exploding, as Blood fell backwards, a final trickle of water and steam lofting from his open mouth, as Sadako walked on.

"Shit! She got the headmaster!" Jinx said as the four of them stood by yet another locked door. Shimmer had been going to get rid of it, but Nightwalker had pushed her aside and asked for her to let him try and open it first. Standing still had allowed Jinx to hear the noises she had correctly assumed were Blood's end. She was about to feel something else, when a wave of dizziness and nausea flowed through her.

"Guys…I don't feel so good…" Jinx said, as she leaned on a wall.

"Suck it up Jinx. I don't want to leave you behind." Nightwalker said. Jinx's vision blurred, but she listened and fought it off. The dizziness faded…mostly.

A few seconds later, the door opened up, and everyone ran through. Nightwalker slammed it closed on the other side.

"Buzz Bomb, fuse it!"

"What?"

"Shoot your lasers on the ends so it can't open up again!"

"No way! You ruined my plan!"

"And if you don't listen I'll ruin YOUR FACE!" Nightwalker snarled as he aimed one of his guns at Buzz Bomb. The teen meekly obeyed, setting a concentrated blast on the edges of the door.

"Now what do we do?" Shimmer asked.

"We have to get out of here! Get to the TV room, like Gizmo said, leave the school! Maybe then…!" Nightwalker said.

The lights all went dead.

Shimmer screamed.

And then went on again.

Shimmer was still there and unhurt, but she wished she wasn't.

The whole hallway had turned into hell, all the metal and stone vanishing into rotting, stinking flesh. The walls were covered with it, it dangled from the ceiling, and it squished underfoot as everyone looked around in horror.

"…Damn! Come on! We have to leave!" Nightwalker said, and whirled around.

Sabotage stood before him, making Nightwalker start. Especially when he realized Sabotage had no eyes, his gory sockets dribbling blood down his cheeks as he smiled.

"You can't leave."

His teeth were gone, razor blades driven into his gums in a chaotic patchwork.

"We won't let you."

Shimmer screamed once more.

And then Nightwalker got his gun up and blew Sabotage away, the body staggering under the bullets, trying to resist, but the firepower was too intense and he was blown to pieces, collapsing into a rain of ruined flesh the same color that covered the walls. It apparently wasn't the real Sabotage, just a construct of some sort.

"Your bad luck then." Nightwalker said. "Come on! We have to get out of here!"

And then the hallways filled with chaotic whispers.

"Can't leave…"

"Won't leave…"

"You belong to us…"

"You ALL do."

The floor ripped up, bloody tentacles tearing through the flesh and grabbing at Shimmer and Jinx's legs, and the two screamed and tried to get away, even as the tentacles…the VINES ripped at their flesh…

Nightwalker blew the vines away as well in another burst of fire, and Buzz Bomb actually helped out a bit with his lasers, much to Nightwalker's amazement. Of course Buzz Bomb then immediately screamed and began shooting everything before Nightwalker slapped him, hard.

"At least wait until it STARTS moving." Nightwalker said, as he unslung his other gun, turning back to the girls. "Selinda, can you use one of these?"

"Uh…"

"Jinx can't shoot, the recoil will hurt her too much. Buzz Bomb already has weapons, and I can't John Woo with two machine guns. CAN YOU USE THIS?" Nightwalker repeated.

Shimmer stared for a second, then took the gun.

"I had one lesson." She said.

"Don't want new marksmen records my dear, just make sure you can-HOLY!" Nightwalker yelled as the floor once again erupted, this time behind Buzz Bomb, who screamed and flew away, not even bothering to counter-attack as a mass of snarling vines intertwined with the ruined remains of a female body tore itself from the floor.

"Hun…where are you…mamma knows best…" Scorcher's mouth said, the lower jaw all that remained from her head, as the hideous abomination the two intertwined forms had become reached for the survivors.

Nightwalker and Shimmer blew it away, riddling it with bullets as they backed up…and then turned and ran when it collapsed and exploded in flames, Jinx skipping and hopping along to try and keep up. As Nightwalker turned around, the form rose again, a burning mass, and Nightwalker fired one last spray into it, putting it down for good…

As Sadako stepped from the shadows behind it. The door hadn't slowed her down at all.

"Ah crap!" Nightwalker said, as the three ran for it, Sadako in pursuit.

Buzz Bomb ran into them on the way back, as he was fleeing the other way.

"Keep it away from me!" Buzz Bomb screamed, as another form emerged from the darkness ahead…Mammoth.

"…Baran." Shimmer whispered. Rods of barbed black metal had been driven through Mammoth's body to hold his wounds together, his neck wound lolling open none the less.

"Why didn't you just LISTEN to BIG BROTHER? JOIN US!" Mammoth rasped, as he reached for the four.

Mammoth's head exploded in a spray of rotten tissue.

"You're not my brother." Shimmer replied, lowering her gun as the body began to fall.

And stopped.

As a giant arm composed of exposed blood-red muscle and tipped with cruel claws erupted from the ruins of Mammoth's hand and shot out, seizing Shimmer around the shoulders and pinning her arms to her side as the arm began dragging her back, Shimmer screaming.

Several hex blasts slammed into the arm, tearing into it, and then another spray of bullets blew it apart. The body staggered back, and then Nightwalker yelled at Buzz Bomb to shoot, which he did, blowing it to bits much like Sabotage.

"Keep MOVING!" Nightwalker yelled as the four ran forward.

They'd been running on normal hallway for several seconds before they realized it, as they stopped and looked around.

"What the hell was THAT?" Jinx asked.

"Oft have I digg'd up dead men from their graves, and set them upright at their dear friends' doors." Nightwalker said. Everyone looked at him. "Shakespeare. They're trying to freak us out. But I can't see why…"

Sadako emerged from the darkness at the end of the hallway where the horror had stopped.

"NOW I DO! RUN!" Nightwalker yelled, as the four once again started sprinting down the hallway. When they were some fair distance away, Nightwalker turned and fired the last of his bullets towards Sadako, only to have them once again be deflected away and bounce all over the hallway, though Nightwalker was too far for them to hit him as he ejected the empty clip with a curse and continued running, darting around another corner to join the others.

"Where are we?" Jinx asked: she was by now so confused she couldn't tell which way was up, much less which way the TV room was.

"I don't know, keep running!" Nightwalker said.

Darkness.

"SHIT!"

This time it was even worse. Nightwalker's ears were immediately assailed by terrible moans, moans he couldn't tell the direction of until he looked down onto the shifting floor.

And saw the faces.

They were standing on a floor made up of faces.

Living, breathing, moving faces, all screaming and moaning and crying for help. Nightwalker was so shocked he nearly passed out.

And then he saw it was more then faces. Instead of rotten flesh, this time the walls and ceilings were made of body parts, dangling broken arms, outstretched skinned legs, rib cages encasing beating hearts, blades and wires and hooks and chains winding through them, cutting and pulling and tearing at them. A face was occasionally embedded in among the parts. The face of Billy Numerous. The faces below were of the Hive drones, and all together they made a damned chorus of misery that made one soul-sick.

Everyone was so busy staring at the terrible sight that they almost didn't notice the flaming figure.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The figure wailed, body covered in fire, as he charged at the group, bits of himself sloughing off as he dashed down the hallway of bodies, heading for the group.

Shimmer blew him apart, and his fiery body parts scattered on the floor. His head bounced past the group, and Nightwalker noticed the skull had disintegrating long hair on it. Juryrig, the poor bastard.

"Nightwalker! Let's go!" Jinx was yelling, and Nightwalker snapped out of it and ran, trying to ignore the faces crying below him, as he snapped in another clip as he dashed past the group, taking point…

The cage came from out of nowhere, landing right in front of Nightwalker. Before he could stop, the cage then lunged forward, propelled by the arms on the walls. It slammed into Nightwalker's outstretched knee, and Nightwalker screamed in pain as he felt something break, tumbling to the ground as the cage reared above him.

It was, as he saw, a square shaped structure of bars…and inside was Rhinoceros Beetle. That would have been bad enough, but it was clear the cage was far too small for Wilby to have fit in it in his giant form, the form he was in…the form that had somehow been forced into the cage anyway, with horrifying results, the body squashed and broken, the flesh almost oozing out from between the bars, Wilby's face crushed up against them, moaning dully, even as the arms on the wall reared the cage up to slam down on top of Nightwalker.

Bullets tore into the cage, and Wilby cried out even as he was riddled, but Shimmer didn't let up, as the cage began to be torn apart, the bars not metal but some kind of rotten bone, and Nightwalker jerked his own gun up and added to the firepower, ripping the cage into pieces, and unfortunately doing the same to Wilby's body.

"Nightwalker!"

"Are you ok?" Jinx asked as the two girls came up to the teen, as he tried to get up…and pain exploded through his leg. "You're hurt!"

"Not badly enough." Nightwalker said. He tossed Shimmer a new clip of ammo even before she could ask for it and then limped over to Buzz Bomb, who was too busy shooting the walls and floor to have helped out with the imposter Wilby.

"Just keep MOVING, asshole!" Nightwalker snarled.

"Give me a good reason!" Buzz Bomb replied.

Before the pair, Sadako appeared.

"THAT'S A GOOD REASON!" Buzz Bomb shrieked as he flew away. Nightwalker tried to run, but with every step an agony of pain lanced up his leg and he was reduced to a fast jog.

Screams and gunfire came from up ahead, and a few seconds later Nightwalker arrived to see what Shimmer and Jinx were shooting at.

"You…can't…escape…" Zippy whispered, her head lolling off her body, half the muscles severed, her whole torso laid open, the teens able to see right through her, as Zippy took a step, her body twisting and breaking apart even as she moved, muscles jerking her form this way and that. But her destroyed body almost meant there was little substance for bullets to pierce.

"No…escape…" Zippy semi-howled.

The butt of Nightwalker's gun slammed into her face, and then across Zippy's head, causing her form to lurch and crash into the wall. Jinx then violently kicked the meat puppet, and it fell, where Shimmer and Jinx stomped on it until it moved no more.

But that gave Sadako time to catch up again, and the four were forced to run again, as the hell corridor faded away again, leaving a normal school hallway.

And Nightwalker was falling behind. His knee was too badly injured, and unlike Jinx he wasn't light enough to drag along without effort. He was slowing them all down.

Buzz Bomb flew through the open door, and Jinx and Shimmer swiftly followed before turning around to see where Nightwalker was, several feet behind them, limping along.

As Sadako appeared from the darkness.

"Come on Nightwalker! Let's go!" Jinx and Shimmer called, reaching out to him: Jinx had somewhere lost her arm sling.

Nightwalker glanced behind him. The sight gave him a burst of speed, as he limped up to the door.

And stopped at the frame.

"Run." Nightwalker said.

"What?" Jinx replied.

"I'm done. Go. Get out of here. I'll buy you time." Nightwalker said.

Jinx stared at the helmeted teen. She did not protest. She knew it would do no good.

"…Are you sure?" She asked.

"…Yes." Nightwalker replied.

"…Thank you." Jinx said, as a tear streaked down her face.

Nightwalker nodded, and then hit the door button, as it closed between the two. He sighed and turned back around.

Sadako approached.

Nightwalker raised his gun and opened fire. No bullet went near the spirit, every deadly shell passing by her. Nightwalker fired until he was out of ammo anyway.

The gun clicked dry, and Nightwalker dropped it helplessly, watching Sadako come.

And then, with a deep sigh, Nightwalker reached up and slowly pulled off his helmet. It clattered on the floor.

"I die now." Nightwalker said. "But you will damn well see it's unafraid."

And Nightwalker leapt at Sadako, throwing blows…

…as everything fell into black, an inescapable, terrible black.

Nightwalker's body fell to the ground.

Sadako stepped over it and left it behind, walking on. The closed door meant nothing to her, as she passed through it like it wasn't there.

And then…from a corner, Mittens crept, creeping over to Nightwalker's body. The kitten looked upon the teen's distorted, blackened face and meowed sadly, and then licked at the features, as if this would somehow turn back what had happened.

* * *

"Uh Jinx, a side note…" Buzz Bomb said as the final three survivors ran down the hallway, as Jinx turned her tear-streaked face towards the bee-teen. "Remember when I asked you if you'd go out with me and you said 'Only if were in some kind of hopeless situation'?" 

Jinx skidded to a stop.

"WHAT?"

"Well I figure this works pretty well! So what do you say?"

"FUCK YOU!"

"Yes, that's exactly what I was suggesting! I'm glad we're on the same-ACK!" Buzz Bomb yelled as Jinx grabbed him and slammed him against the wall.

"If Nightwalker hadn't just done something so noble I'd break your fucking neck right now." Jinx snarled.

"I'll be quiet now." Buzz Bomb said meekly. Jinx let him go…she had to: the pressure within her was coming back, a deep dull ache…what was wrong with her…

"Guys! We have to run! We have to-EEEEEEEEEE!" Shimmer screamed as the darkness flashed over the halls, the terrible power sinking its corruption in once more.

It was back to the flesh, but this time it was worse. This time a sickening heat came off the tissue, even as it seemed to pulse beneath them, throbbing with terrible, unholy life.

As twin skeletal hands tore from the ground and seized onto Jinx's legs.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Jinx screamed, as her legs sank into the flesh, as she screamed and fought, even as twin heads emerged from the rot, one twisted upside down and the other lacking facial skin.

"I can see you." Seemore said, his eyes bulging from his bleeding face.

"AHHHH! LEMME GO!"

"Ah but say don't you see, we have you?"

"Come on little missy!" Private Hive snapped. "This whole place has been turned upside down! It has to be fixed! Starting with yo-"

Jinx clamped her hands on the two heads.

"The deepest thing in anyone is the bad luck that follows boasting." Jinx snapped off, and sent a surge of power through the heads. They exploded, and Jinx fought herself free from the quicksand like flesh, ignoring the pain in her limbs. Nightwalker had died for her, she wouldn't be wasting that sacrifice as she pulled herself to her feet.

Even if part of her felt like she would keel over any second…

She immediately saw why Shimmer and Buzz Bomb hadn't been able to help her: they were firing at the latest atrocity that was approaching. It tottered forward on one twisted leg and a length of bone that might have been a rib cage, limbs twisted around each other, impaled through each part of itself like some kind of horrendous organic tangle of string, one side of Progeny's head barely sticking out from the mass as it came, soaking up bullets.

"Just want…one kiss…" Progeny said, trying to pucker with half a mouth.

Shimmer's gun clicked dry.

"Ah…come my sweet…" Progeny said, lurching towards Shimmer.

Shimmer thrust out her hands.

Progeny stopped dead as he became an ice statue.

"Cool off Romeo." Shimmer said, as she slammed the butt of her gun onto the statue and shattered it.

"Nice work." Jinx said as she joined the two, Shimmer dropping the empty gun on the floor.

"Let's go!" Shimmer said, as the three of them took off down the hallway.

They almost didn't see the mouth opening up beneath them before it was too late.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Jinx and Shimmer screamed as they jumped away at the last second, barely avoiding sliding down the drooling, sharp-fanged gullet.

"Ha! That's why it's good to be a flyer!" Buzz Bomb bragged.

The section of wall surged out, hungry teeth attempting to ensnare Buzz Bomb.

"AIYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Buzz Bomb screamed, as he flew back, rapidly firing his lasers. "DIE YOU SPACKLE SKINNED BEAST!"

"Come on!" Jinx said, as she grabbed Buzz Bomb by the ankle and yanked him back, as the three of them continued to flee…

And stopped dead. It was a dead end.

So to speak. Blocking their way was a hideous throbbing membrane, stretched over the hallway and barring their exit.

Jinx and Buzz Bomb shot it with lasers and hex blasts. They had no effect.

"Argh! I didn't come all this way to be thwarted by an oversized artery blockage! MOVE!" Buzz Bomb said as he rammed into the membrane, which sank in but didn't break as it repelled Buzz Bomb.

"We have to go back!" Jinx said, as she whirled around…

As the flesh opened up, and a table emerged from the floor.

Platinum Blonde's body lay on the table, strange small cloaked figures crouched over it, fusing lengths of metal to her neck, her limbs, and over her eyes.

Jinx and Shimmer only caught a fleeting glimpse of them though, as they literally vanished into thin air.

As Platinum Blonde lurched off the table and came for the three.

"NO WE DON'T!" Buzz Bomb screamed, as he attacked the membrane again.

Jinx fired off hex blasts, but they barely affected Platinum Blonde at all, and as Jinx staggered away from her Shimmer ran in, trying to transform her…Only to be swatted away before she could, flying through the air and hitting the membrane before crashing back down to the ground.

"Hey! I think that made it give some! Throw Jinx at it, she's been putting on weight!" Buzz Bomb yelled.

Jinx seized Buzz Bomb by his shoulders and yanked him around to face Platinum Blonde.

"AHHHHHH! You can't force me to do this! It's...against my religion!" Buzz Bomb yelled.

"Be quiet and use these damn lasers to SEND HER TO HELL!" Jinx said as she yanked up Buzz Bomb's arm and pulled at the trigger that was concealed near his wrist. A laser shot out, glancing off Platinum Blonde as she charged in.

Jinx fired again, this time a more concentrated shot, and one of the metal lengths holding Platinum Blonde's head on was severed, the head breaking partly off and lurching wildly off the shoulders, but Platinum Blonde didn't slow a bit as she closed in and Buzz Bomb screamed.

Jinx fired, and the second band shattered, causing Platinum Blonde's head to topple off as she rammed into Buzz Bomb, who flew backwards even as she collasped, trying to stop himself by grabbing onto Jinx and Shimmer…as he tore through the membrane, dragging the girls with him as he collapsed to the floor in the room beyond.

"…It worked! I'm a genius!" Buzz Bomb said as he leapt up.

"WHAT?" Jinx said.

"I…I-yi-yi." Buzz Bomb said.

The room was filled with bodies, but unlike the previous ones these were normal, if you discounted their often hideous mutilations. They were everywhere: piled on the floor, hung and displayed on and from the walls and ceiling, propped on the furniture, everywhere.

All the drones and students, all in the room, all dead at the hands of the boogeymen. Buzz Bomb swallowed…

And then realized where he was.

"The TV ROOM!" Buzz Bomb said, even as the girls saw the lone TV sitting out near the center of the room, screen on and showing static. "Thank you god! We don't have to go back in the hallway! Let's get out of the…HEY!" Buzz Bomb bellowed as he looked up. Shocked by the sudden cry, the two girls looked up as well.

The ceiling of the room looked back at them, as if mocking them. Yeah, it had fallen before…but no more.

It had said no escape, and it meant it.

"Now what do we do?" Shimmer asked.

"…Back to the hallway!" Buzz Bomb said, and turned around to run that way.

As the sights beyond fell into darkness, all sight vanishing.

And then Sadako stepped through the doorway.

No escape.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" Buzz Bomb screamed, as he began firing lasers. The blasts deflected away from Sadako, piercing through the nearby walls and fallen corpses, as Shimmer dragged Jinx away from Sadako…for about seven feet, before she too collapsed. She suddenly felt very tired.

"Argh! CHEATER!" Buzz Bomb yelled at Sadako as she slowly started approaching, outright ignoring his lasers. He flew back to Jinx and Shimmer.

"Shimmer, turn her into a go-kart or something!"

"What? I can't do such a complex alteration! And even if I could, you think I can get close to her?" Shimmer shot back. "Go blow up the roof again!"

"I'm out of booms, and thanks to that damn Nightwalker, I can't even blow the base and hope we survive!"

"Then fly Shimmer up to the roof and have her turn it into smoke or something!" Jinx yelled.

"You want me to lift her up with just my wings? Forget it! I won't get high enough and I'll have backaches for weeks!"

"If we don't do something we'll be lucky to have SECONDS!" Jinx yelled, and fired several hex blasts at Sadako. They deflected away, exploding around the spirit, as she continued her slow approach.

"Wait…" Buzz Bomb said, as his eyes fell on the TV on the pedestal behind him, showing nothing but static. "This is the only TV working! That HAS to mean something!" Buzz Bomb yelled, and reached out and seized the device. "Alright you Japanese Indy Movie Thing, GO BACK WHERE YOU BELONG!"

And Buzz Bomb hurled the TV at Sadako.

Where it stopped in mid-air, and much to the three's surprise, floated back to the pedestal behind them.

"HEY!" Buzz Bomb yelled, and reached for the TV again…and promptly received a powerful shock that threw him to the ground. "Great! Now the TV's haunted!"

Jinx tried to grab the TV herself, and was similarly and violently repulsed. With a sick feeling, she recognized the experience as the exact same feedback she had felt when she had attempted to muck with Leatherface's chainsaw…except stronger, much stronger.

"Jinx…" Shimmer whispered in horror, and Jinx turned back around.

Sadako stood before them, and as Jinx watched, she slowly began lifting her arm, as her hair began to part, and the pain began…

As a corpse rose from the pile of bodies it lay on and lashed Sadako in the back. The metal whip was violently repulsed, but it appeared to have made some contact.

"Sadako." Flense said.

And much to Jinx's surprise, Sadako stopped, as she turned her head to face Flense, who had come from nowhere.

"Recognize this?" Flense said, holding up something. A videotape.

"Interesting stuff you find lying around when people think you're dead. Like this. Your videotape, am I right, Sadako?" Flense said.

Sadako turned around from the three and began approaching Flense, whose eyebrows narrowed.

"I thought so. The fact that you're approaching confirms it. This tape and you are linked. Watch it and you're called. In a way, this is what you come from…" Flense said, and brought a tentacle to the tape as if he was going to crush it.

Sadako was suddenly right in front of him, having crossed the space in an eyeblink, as her hair fell open.

As Flense jumped backwards, having prepared.

"So I REALLY don't think it would be good for you to TOUCH IT!"

And he tossed the tape at Sadako, right into her upraised arm.

White light exploded from the contact, consuming Sadako, as Flense landed, looking grimly satisfied.

"Flense!" Jinx was calling, and Flense turned to look at the sorceress. She still looked scared.

"It's ok! It's the damn rules! This'll get rid of…"

"NO! IT'S NOT JUST SADAKO!"

"…WHAT?"

"IT'S NOT JUST SADAKO! IT'S SAMARA! THEY MERGED! IT'S BOTH!"

The explosion of light cut out, and a smoking hunk of ash that had once been a videotape clattered to the ground, where it disintegrated.

Sadako still stood there, hunched over, jerking a bit, as if in pain. But she remained, as Flense looked at her in horror.

"No…no! I thought…it has to…"

Sadako jerked her body upwards and came for Flense again, who yelled and lashed out. This time, his tentacles weren't just repulsed, they were actually slammed back into him, throwing him back against the wall, as Sadako stalked towards him…and then Flense leapt up, seized the ceiling, and clambered over Sadako, heading for the center of the room…

And then the roof was suddenly water, and Flense yelled as he fell back down to the floor, landing with a loud thud. Despite the bad impact, he sprang back up and leapt over to the three, as Sadako turned back around again.

"So it's both the ghosts? The original and the American one?" Flense asked.

"…Yeah…yeah we think so." Jinx said.

"Shit. No wonder it didn't work. There were TWO videotapes. I only picked up one!" Flense said as he shoved Buzz Bomb aside.

There, on top of the VCR, next to a nigh-unidentifiable hunk of melted plastic, was the other tape. Flense reached for it…

It jerked out of Flense's hands, and he yelled as it flew past him, whirling and sending off a tentacle after it, but Sadako once again repelled it, as the tape flew into the shadows of the doorway and vanished without a trace.

And Flense realized that had been the plan all along. Offer hope and then jerk it away. Make the despair as deep as possible.

Well he wasn't giving up yet, as he looked at the other three Hive members.

"Is there ANY other way out of this room?"

"She's standing in front of the only door, and I doubt any of us will be allowed to leave even if we try and make a new exit." Jinx whispered.

"Shit! What about the television?"

"It got wise to me after the first time." Buzz Bomb said.

"OH FUCK THIS!" Flense roared, and lashed a metal tentacle against the television. The reaction blasted him onto his ass.

"She's coming!" Shimmer screamed, as Sadako approached. Hoping against hope, Jinx and Buzz Bomb let off one final spray of hex blasts and lasers.

None of them touched Sadako, as she once again approached.

Jinx lowered her arms, and decided that this was it. She was tired anyway…so tired…

"…No! It's…it's not fair! I had them all in my power…I was going to rule the HIVE and have a bevy of slavegirls and unlimited supplies of Mountain Dew and coffee…"

"Shut up and die with dignity." Flense muttered as he got up into a crouch, watching Sadako come and knowing there was nothing he could do.

"…Ah well. At least Gizmo went first." Buzz Bomb said.

And Sadako closed in, as she raised her arm, as her black eye fell upon the remains…

And a rock hand clamped down over her wrist.

"Hey there." Rocko said.

Then she threw Sadako into the nearest wall.

"…WHAT THE!" Jinx stammered. "ROCKO?"

"In the flesh…so to speak." The last remaining Elemental said: her body was back together…barely. The stonework was a mess of tiles and even bandages holding the rocks together, but she was still standing.

"YES! WE'RE SAVED! HAPPY DANCE! HAPPY DANCE!" Buzz Bomb said, doing said happy dance, the less said about the actual dance the better.

"But…Nightwalker said you were dead! He tried to wake you up, he did everything…!" Jinx said, still not able to believe it.

"I needed a good deep nap. A nap the forces that infest this place tried to make permanent. But I've conquered death herself, I'll be damned if a bunch of fake puppets of it keep me down." Rocko said, as she turned to face Sadako, as the ghost floated back up from where she lay from the impact. "So…this little waif is the last line they can muster, eh?"

"Watch it Rocko! She's more dangerous then she looks!" Flense said as he got up.

"Well, I'm just AS dangerous as I look, and you know damn well how much THAT IS." Rocko growled, as she stomped over to Sadako.

"Rocko wait! You took her by surprise! Attacking her head on won't…"

Rocko swung out her fist.

The fist connected…but Sadako didn't even seem to notice.

While Rocko's whole arm shattered into bits.

"Work so well." Flense finished. Rocko recoiled, making a grunting noise…and then her arm began to float back up and reform.

Sadako's black eye glared out at Rocko.

Cracks burst across Rocko's chest, as her arm fell apart completely and stayed there, Rocko falling to one knee, making a strange noise that wasn't exactly coughing, but was close.

"This isn't going to work. Water eventually grinds rock down to nothing in all aspects." Flense said, as he looked at the three. "Rocko will only give us another minute unless we think of a plan, NOW!"

"Run away?" Shimmer asked.

"We can't!"

"You know, if we survive, I vote the next place we move into has rice paper walls and escape pods every two feet." Buzz Bomb said.

"Shut up unless you have something USEFUL!"

Rocko hurled the stone remains of her arm at Sadako, but the pieces deflected away, flying away from Rocko before she could call them back. Growling again, the Elemental punched her fist deep into the ground and yanked out a hunk of steel, which she hurled at Sadako.

It stopped in mid air and then flew back, slamming into Rocko's head and breaking a third of it off. Rocko staggered back again, and then with a bellow charged in, swinging her lone remaining arm.

"Oh, I have an idea!" Buzz Bomb said. "Let's film this and sell it to Hollywood! Hell, this is ten times more creative then anything they've thought of in the past…"

"That's IT!" Jinx said. "Film! Shimmer! Your camera! Why didn't I think of it before!"

"Camera?" Flense said in confusion.

"She has the Camera Obscura! From a video game! It gets rid of ghosts! Sadako's a ghost! USE IT ON HER!"

The surge of excitement Jinx felt faded away just as fast when she didn't see it spread to Shimmer's face. Instead, the girl just smiled sadly and lifted the antique camera hanging around her neck.

"Oh Llarenes…I wish I'd said something…but that was the first thing that came to mind when I first saw Sadako." Shimmer said, as she turned the camera around and opened up the empty back. "But there's no film."

"ARRRGGGGHHHHHHH!" Rocko bellowed as water exploded from within her chest, and her body broke apart and collapsed in pieces once more, as Sadako stepped over the remains and began heading for the four survivors yet.

"_No escape…_" A voice howled around the room.

"No film! You idiot! Haven't you ever heard of picking up powerups? You're a disgrace to the world of gamers!" Buzz Bomb snapped.

"Shit! She's coming again! Shimmer, where do you get film?" Flense asked.

"I don't know…" Simmer whispered, as a pair of tears leaked from her eyes.

Sadako suddenly stopped as a half-formed hand of rock reached up and seized her ankle.

"Not rid of me yet, bitch!" Rocko's head snarled, trying to keep herself together despite the immense forces that were immediately brought to bear on her.

"Shit! We only have seconds! Shimmer, come on, you can think of something!" Jinx said.

"If I knew…but I didn't…never bothered looking for film…I…I'm so sorry…" Shimmer sobbed.

And Flense suddenly leapt away from the group, bouncing over to what might have once been a table, before a night of hell took its toll on it, as Flense grabbed up all the dead bodies and hurled them aside, searching through a disgusting mix of old spoiled and destroyed food, blood and guts, and other unpleasantness.

"Come on! I KNOW I saw it here! It has to be here!" Flense snarled to himself, making a mess as he furiously searched for something.

"Great, we're doomed and he decides he wants to go on a scavenger hunt." Buzz Bomb commented.

"What is he…?" Jinx said.

"YES!" Flense yelled as he yanked something from the mess at his feet.

Another camera. The same camera Jinx remembered seeing at the snack table before the whole mess had begun, as Flense ripped open the back and pulled out the unused spool of film, as he leapt back over to Shimmer.

"Film! Now use it!" Flense said, slapping the spool into Shimmer's hand.

"…Flense, this is MODERN FILM! This camera's an antique! It won't work in this!" Shimmer said, indicating the Camera Obscura.

"Yes it will. Because you're going to change it into the proper film."

"…Flense, I can just do simple matter transmutations. I can't turn this complex mix into 100-year old film, maybe…"

"Yes you can Shimmer."

"No, I can't! My powers won't let me!"

"Yes, they will, because you SAY they will."

"Flense…"

"Shimmer, LOOK AROUND." Flense said. "In the past several hours you've seen reality chewed up, spit out, and laughed at, and the laws of physics reduced from guidelines to something to openly flounce and laugh at. But there's a problem with forces that choose to do that Shimmer. It works BOTH ways."

"But…"

"Shimmer, it doesn't matter what your set power limits are! What matters are the rules that govern this place! You think horror films make sense? They don't! So do something senseless! CHANGE THE FILM!"

"Flense…" Jinx said.

"DO IT! DO IT GOD DAMN IT OR I'LL SLIT YOUR THROAT RIGHT NOW!" Flense roared as he snapped out a bladed tentacle. Shimmer screamed and recoiled, nearly dropping the film.

"ARGH!" Rocko bellowed, and everyone turned to see Sadako step away from the rock pile as it fell apart completely. The rocks quivered, apparently trying to put themselves back together but unable to gather the strength.

Flense looked back at Shimmer.

"Shimmer, for the sake of your brother, TRY, because if you don't, you'll be joining him in hell!"

"…WHAT?" Shimmer snapped. "My brother was a good man! I know the stupid law system and those damn Titans said otherwise, but they never knew him, I did, and how dare you…" Shimmer said, as a glow infused her hand…and as Shimmer looked at it, she saw that the roll of film had indeed started to morph into something else.

"See! You can do it!" Flense said.

"Won't do us any good!" Buzz Bomb screamed, and Flense jerked his head back towards Sadako, who was closing in once more…too close.

"Prove me wrong then kid." Flense said.

And then he leapt at Sadako, tentacles lashing.

"What the…" Buzz Bomb said. "He's buying you time too? Damn it doesn't anyone act like a villain around here!"

"Come on bitch! You haarrrghhhh, do more…then…AGGUHHHHHH!" Flense gurgled as water erupted from his mouth, and he too fell at Sadako's feet, as the rancorous ghost walked on, having dealt with the improbable survivors, and now planning to finish the last three off…

"…No. No more death. I'm sick of it! Leave us alone! GO AWAY!" Shimmer yelled.

And the film in her hand shifted once more, and then with a flash of light it was no longer just a normal roll of film. It was something else entirely.

Jinx could see the words emblazoned on it.

TYPE ZERO.

"…You know, if she had a bit more experience in these matters she could probably drop off a decent pun about being in pictures." Buzz Bomb said as Shimmer slammed the film in.

"GO-**_AWAY!_**" Shimmer screamed, and pressed the button.

The flash went off, and Sadako staggered back, her hair whipping about violently…and then she started walking towards the group, as Shimmer took her face away from the camera as the picture began to emerge.

"It didn't work!" Buzz Bomb cried.

"Do it again!" Jinx yelled.

"I plan to…but the film…takes so frikkin long to reload!"

The picture dropped at Shimmer's feet.

"But not long ENOUGH!" Shimmer snapped as she took Sadako's picture once more. The ghost girl flailed back again, but not for long, as she continued to stalk towards the group.

As Shimmer took her picture again, and again, the pictures falling at her feet, as Sadako jerked and spasmed, like she was being struck by bullets, and Jinx and Buzz Bomb saw she was starting to go see through, her tangibility fading away, as Shimmer took yet another photo.

Sadako fell to her knees.

And with one final snap, she disappeared entirely, leaving the three alone in the room.

"…I thought it took a long time to reload." Jinx said.

"It does. I told it it doesn't." Shimmer said, as she lowered the camera, as Sadako's final picture ejected and joined the small mass on the ground, the spirit forever frozen in time.

"…Good job Selinda. Baran would be proud of you." Jinx said, as she put a comforting arm on Shimmer's shoulders, as Shimmer sighed deeply.

"It's over…but at such a great cost…" Shimmer said, as she looked around as the slaughter around her, so many victims sacrificed on the alter…

"Uh…guys…" Buzz Bomb said, and as Jinx and Shimmer looked at him he pointed at the floor.

"Are the pictures SUPPOSED to do that?"

Jinx and Shimmer looked down, down on the mass of photos where Sadako was…photos that were fading away, and even as the knife of fear struck Jinx in the heart again they faded away completely, leaving nothing but black exposed film.

"Oh NO!" She screamed.

As the TV behind them went clear, as the static was replaced by a black and white shot.

Of a very familiar well.

It wasn't over yet.

"…This means something…well, aside from the fact that we're even more doomed then we were before." Buzz Bomb said.

A white hand emerged from the well.

"AHHH! Shimmer! Quick! More pictures!" Jinx yelled. Shimmer raised the Camera Obscura…

And found no more flashes would emerge. She was again out of film.

"Empty!" Shimmer said, tossing the camera on the ground.

Sadako emerged from the well, a picture perfect replica of the film.

"The TV! Smash the TV!" Jinx yelled, as she ran up and hit it with her cast. All that did was throw her backwards and send a surge of agony shooting up her arm.

And Sadako began walking towards the screen.

"Remind me again why this is a bad thing?" Buzz Bomb asked.

"She'll come out and kill us all!" Shimmer yelled.

Jinx ran in again, having yanked a nightstick off the body of one of the dead drones. She smashed it directly into the center of the screen…and was violently tossed away again, the TV unharmed.

"And have any of our efforts been successful so far?" Buzz Bomb asked.

"No! Help us!" Shimmer cried, as she procured a gun from another Hive drone and began firing. Sparks shot from the television as the bullets were deflected, and Shimmer yelled and dove on the ground to avoid the ricochets.

"…All right. I'll help." Buzz Bomb said.

"What took you so long?" Jinx yelled as she tried to whack the TV with the nightstick again and got nowhere.

"I was debating turning on you and siding with her, but I just realized I'd hate working for a woman." Buzz Bomb said, as he snapped up his lasers and fired away.

The lasers bounced off the television.

"HEY! QUIT GOD-MODDING!" Buzz Bomb yelled.

And Sadako drew closer…

Jinx tried the nightstick a third time. This time, the reaction threw her across the entire room.

"Ah screw it. Here's my good deed for the year." Buzz Bomb said, as he flew up and lanced forward, seizing onto the television and yanking it off its pedestal. The power coursed through him, but Buzz Bomb held on as he slammed the TV into the ground, and again, and…

The TV yanked itself from his hands and Buzz Bomb was also violently repelled, as the TV floated back up to the pedestal.

Sadako was almost to the screen…

"We have to stop it!" Jinx screamed as she tried to get up.

"Suppose we just unplug it?" Buzz Bomb asked.

"There IS no plug!" Jinx yelled. "Wait, Shimmer! Turn the TV into something!"

"What?" Shimmer yelled.

"ANYTHING! JUST STOP THE MOVIE!"

Shimmer pushed up on to her feet and ran for the television, her hands out…

And the shadow spewed out from the TV set, slamming into Shimmer and throwing her away. Jinx screamed in surprise, even as the darkness continued to emerge from the TV, reaching out and consuming the ceiling, then the walls…

As Sadako reached the screen. She began to raise her arms.

"No…escape…" The terrible voice whispered: it was coming from the shadows themselves, as the darkness consumed everything around the three. "This is…our…world…we…ALWAYS…WIN…"

And figures began to appear in the darkness. Familiar figures.

Jinx went numb with shock.

The boogeymen were back.

Shimmer whimpered and fell onto her rear as her legs gave out. A tiny part of her eye caught motion, but she was too fixated on the shadowy creatures emerging from the darkness to give it much notice.

And Sadako began to emerge, even as the boogeymen continued to advance.

Jinx's head darted around, trying to look at everything.

"We…will…get you…by any means…by claw…by knife…by machete…" The voice snarled.

And Jinx, as she looked around, realized one more strange thing.

Flense's body was gone.

"By axe…by chainsaw…BY DEATH ITSELF…"

And Flense reared up in front of Sadako as she emerged from the television set.

Her black eye burned into his soul.

As he thrust out his hand and tore into the VCR, pulling the copy of _The Ring_ from it.

"Bye bye." Flense said.

And he smashed the tape over Sadako's head.

The shriek filled the entire room, even as light exploded from the television and consumed the shadows, a shriek of unholy wrath and rage, as Jinx felt the world go upside down around her, as giant flashes of red and white consumed everything, the entire school lighting up in the brilliance, that malevolent howl piercing through her ears…

And then being drawn away, drawn back across the chasm, as everything was once again consumed by darkness.

* * *

Light once more. 

Jinx found herself getting up, not aware she had been thrown to the floor. She blinked as she tried to clear her vision.

She turned her head slightly.

Platinum Blonde was sitting near her. Her head back on and her eyes blinking.

"AHHH!" Jinx yelled, scrambling away a bit, causing Platinum Blonde to start.

"Ah! What is it? What's going on? _Ce qui s'est produit…_" Platinum Blonde muttered as she blinked. "Did I just have a nightmare? I can remember…terrible things…"

"Antoinette!" Jinx said.

"…Yes?" Platinum Blonde replied.

"You're…alive!"

"…Why wouldn't I…oh my…" Platinum Blonde said, as flashes occurred to her. "What happened? Did I die…did this all happen? Was it all…why is everyone in the same room?"

And as Jinx looked around, she realized everyone was getting up, most as confused as Platinum Blonde.

And Jinx, to her even greater surprise, realized that she no longer felt that painful, terrible pressure inside her, that her ribs no longer hurt, and neither did her arm. She got up, testing her ankle. Completely healed, like nothing had happened.

And then she saw Flense, leaning on the television, taking long slow breaths, as he stared at the ground. The television that was now just one of several, in a room that was pristine if you discounted it being filled with people.

"Flense!" Jinx said, running over. "What happened? Did any of this…was it real?"

"…It was…" Flense said, sounding very tired. "You were attacking the wrong thing. When you said the movies had merged…you assumed that they were both next to each other…but in reality…that wasn't quite it. One was on top of the VCR…and the other was…in it. In play." Flense said, as he held up the videotape of _The Ring_, also restored. "I cut the connection. Movie's over. Strike the set, hand out the paychecks. And you know as well as I do that everything in movies is fake."

"BARAN!" Came a happy cry, and Jinx turned to see Shimmer leaping into the arms of her resurrected brother, who wasn't quite sure what had happened but had enough of an idea to know that this was a good thing. Elsewhere, a sobbing Scorcher was holding onto Floral like she would never let go again, as the other Elementals gravitated to them.

Jinx was suddenly aware of a low dark chuckling coming from Flense, and she realized something.

His voice was different.

"Damn." Flense said.

And sparks suddenly erupted from Flense's apparatus, and as Jinx stepped back his image wavered, distorted…and clipped out.

Revealing a very familiar white-clad figure.

"Hello." Savior said.

Jinx's eyes went as wide as they could, as she staggered back, falling on her rear in surprise.

"…You…you're…"

"Not who I appeared to be. I know." Savior said. "Hide in plain sight, I always say."

"HEY! HOW THE HELL DID HE GET IN HERE!" Came a yell, and Jinx realized that Savior had been spotted, by Billy Numerous actually. But the yell quickly brought everyone else's attention to bear on the Titan, who looked around with bleak amusement.

"Oh what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive." Savior said.

A mass of laser points appeared on Savior, as the drones all aimed their guns at him, and he slowly stepped away from the TV and raised his hands in surrender.

"…Yes! No matter what else I do, there is officially someone else that everyone will be more mad at!" Buzz Bomb celebrated.

"Someone get Blood." Said a drone.

"Why isn't he here?"

"I dunno. Too fresh a kill to move here?"

And Jinx remembered.

"Nightwalker!" She said, and turned and ran out of the room.

Savior sighed and looked around him, wondering if his silver tongue would work this time.

* * *

"Nightwalker!" Jinx called as she ran down the hallway. The final trek through the hell corridors had screwed up her sense of direction, but now that the essence was banished again and its warping influence gone, she could tell the way she was going much easier. 

As Nightwalker's eyes blinked open in surprise, amazed. It had all been black, and then…all gone.

Jinx rounded the corner, and saw the black-clad figure starting to get up.

"Nightwalker!" She said, as she ran towards the vigilante. "You're alive! You're ok! You're…"

Jinx came up short as she realized Nightwalker's helmet was still off.

As the black-clad teen turned a long mane of red hair towards Jinx and looked at her.

"You're a GIRL?" Jinx said incredulously.

Indeed she was, exposed as Savior had been. Behind the helmet, Nightwalker was actually quite lovely, as she stared in shock on Jinx's face…and then the realization came fully to her that her game was up.

"…Shit." She said. Deprived of the helmet muffling, her voice was soft and breathy, sounding about as intimidating as a Twinkie.

"But…huh…wha…?" Jinx said, thoroughly confused.

As Nightwalker stood up, picked up her helmet, and walked off with a steady, determined stride. Before Jinx realized it she was already around the corner.

"…Hey! Wait!" Jinx said, chasing after him…after her, her, Jinx reminded herself. She was stupefied. She'd never even had a clue.

* * *

Brother Blood had a headache again, and he was in a royally foul mood as he stalked down the corridor, accompanied by a few drones. He wasn't quite sure what had happened: he had been meeting with Control Freak and then he had been digging and then something had hurt him or maybe killed him and he wasn't sure if it was real or a dream or a hallucination or something else entirely. But he knew what his soldiers had reported: one of his Hive members had been exposed as a Titan. Blood grit his teeth in rage: how in the HELL had those blasted children managed to pull one up over him AGAIN? 

Well, Blood would find out, and if the Titan was behind his strange memories, Blood would find that out too, and he'd make sure he paid for it, as Blood stepped into the TV room.

Gizmo was there now, called on his communicator: indeed everyone was there except Jinx and Nightwalker, though Blood didn't notice that (Control Freak wasn't there either: when he woke up he knew enough to realize he would be blamed for this and had had second thoughts about joining the Hive, and had made his exit swift). Everyone was mostly murmuring to themselves, trying to figure out just what had happened. It seemed that everyone who had died had blurry memories of the night: only Shimmer, Buzz Bomb, and Rocko (who hadn't died, just been forced apart) had a clear recollection of what had gone on. And not many people wanted to believe them.

The room went silent as Blood entered, everyone standing at attention or at least giving Blood theirs.

"…Does anyone know what just happened?" Blood asked.

A cacophony of voices filled the room.

"Never mind! I'll debrief later! Right now I just want to speak to one person…" Blood said, as he stalked across the room.

Savior had been bound with handcuffs, and he was in a kneeling position, four drones holding guns on him. Not the first person Blood had expected to see, but he would do.

"So! You thought your little group of 'heroes' could pull one over on my organization, AGAIN!" Blood yelled.

"Thought? Did. If that reaction hadn't shorted out my holopin array you still wouldn't have a clue. Then again that's just par for the course for you, eh Blood?" Savior snarked.

Blood backhanded Savior, knocking him to the ground, and then reached down and grabbed the teen by the front of his shirt, yanking him up face to face.

"Your breed has a dangerous lack of respect, child. It's high time you learned the folly of that." Blood said, as his eyes glowed red. "You want to spy on me? I think turnabout is definitely fair play."

Savior's eyes glowed red as Blood forced his way into his mind.

And then he grinned.

"Sorry Blood, tried this already. Got any more flavors?" Savior taunted.

Blood screamed in rage and threw Savior to the ground as he realized his mind control wasn't working, AGAIN! Savior just darkly chuckled to himself: he may yet die horribly, but at least with the chip in his brain Blood couldn't turn him against his teammates. Stealing Cyborg's technology had been one of the best things he had ever done, in retrospect.

"Oh, you LAUGH, child." Blood said as he stepped back, red energy crackling to life on his hand, and the drones around Savior backed away so they wouldn't be potentially caught in the area effect. "It will be the last thing you ever do in this life."

"Life? You mean like the life I just gave back to you?" Savior said as he got to his feet. "The only reason you claim any victory at all is because of me. What I knew. What I did."

"What I knew, what I did!" Blood said, mocking Savior's voice. "You're a hero! You're stupid! I'm not! I am a villain! And it's time you learned just WHY!"

"A villain. Who couldn't give a damn." Savior muttered. "Does he speak for all of you?"

"Don't try and turn them against me! This is my school! I am supreme here!"

"Your supremacy was usurped. Death reigned supreme here last night. It touched you all. I took it back. I gave you back your teammates, your friends, your FAMILY." Savior said. "So do what you feel is right in that retrospect."

"BE QUIET!" Blood bellowed, as he thrust back his arm.

Scorcher seized it.

"Let him go." She said quietly.

"WHAT?" Blood said as his head jerked in Scorcher's direction.

"A life for a life. Let. Him. Go." Scorcher said, as her hair flared higher.

"MISS FOSTER, you forget who makes the decisions here. Now release me, or the knowledge I possess will forever be denied to you." Blood said, grinning wickedly. "The accursed Titan may have brought back the rest of your brood, but your fiancée remains conspicuously absent."

Scorcher stared.

And then Blood yelled as her hand heated up, burning his metal arm.

"You have given me nothing. You may never. He gave me my reason for living back. If Henry was alive, he'd understand. Now LET. HIM. GO."

"YOU…"

"I even SEE your eyes start to glow red, your head will glow red next. You lose this round Blood. It may cost me, but I'll pay it." Scorcher said, as she let Blood's arm go.

And Blood looked around, and he saw the look on Scorcher's face mirrored in most of the Hive.

And as angry as he was, he realized he was outmatched here. He'd have to yield…or seem to. At the moment he couldn't control or punish the students for their defiance, even he couldn't beat them all if they ganged up on him, and from their current expressions it seemed clear they could and would do just that. So for now he'd wait…bide his time…slowly reestablish his power, and when it was all said and done, he would make sure they all suffered the consequences.

As much as the realization of what that meant he had to do now left a sour taste in his mouth, as he turned back to Savior.

"All right…but know this! Your special status, 'Flense'? Consider it downgraded. You are now officially below, say, HIM." Blood said, pointing to Buzz Bomb.

"Whoo hoo! Someone else on toilet duty!" Buzz Bomb celebrated, and then everyone glared at him and he shut up.

"Oh really." Savior said.

"Yes!" Blood snapped, trying to cover the lameness with seeming satisfaction. It faded as soon as Savior held up his handcuffs, picked and unlocked, like he could have done it at any time and had just waited. Blood ground his teeth again.

"You forgot the part where I care." Savior said, as he dropped the cuffs at Blood's feet.

"If I could make it any lower, I would! You are the absolute worst villain I have EVER seen!" Blood snapped.

Savior smirked.

"'If there be devils, would I were a devil, to live and burn in everlasting fire, so I might have your company in hell…but to torment you with my bitter tongue." Savior quoted, and smirked again. "See you next time we kick your ass Blood."

And Savior pushed past the leader of the Hive and walked out, the crowd parting before him. Some of them looked at him with hatred, but most seemed either neutral…or grateful.

Flay was standing near the exit. Savior glanced at him.

"I'd shake your hand, but it would cost me later." Flay whispered.

"No need." Savior replied. "I know."

And with that Savior left the room.

Blood glared after him for a few seconds.

"…ALL RIGHT WHY ARE YOU STANDING AROUND? HALLOWEEN IS OVER! CLEAN UP THIS MESS! PUT EVERYTHING AWAY! AND SCAN EVERY INCH OF THIS DAMN BASE TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING _IS_ GONE! **_MOVE!_**" Blood bellowed, and everyone began falling over themselves to try and do what Blood said and get out of his way as he stalked out of the room.

"Well, all things considered, this was a good night! Now I just…" Buzz Bomb began.

Something jabbed him hard in the side, and Buzz Bomb whirled to see a unit of Hive drones all aiming their guns at him.

"Mister Bomb…is that right?" Belinda said with false respect. "I believe you said something about rigging the whole school to blow?"

Buzz Bomb's good mood vanished as quickly as Blood's.

* * *

It took Jinx a little time, but she eventually figured out where Nightwalker had gone: his…or her room. 

And she was correct.

And though she was surprised to see Nightwalker packing, on another level she wasn't surprised at all.

"…You're leaving?" Jinx said.

"I have to." Nightwalker replied, as she continued to pack her ammo cases away into her suitcase.

"…Nightwalker, if this is about your secret…"

"It doesn't matter if you swear to keep it Llarenes. I think you could. But the illusion is lost, and once Humpty Dumpty has fallen off the wall, you can't put the pieces back together again." Nightwalker said as she turned away from the suitcase. She had the top of her outfit down, a sports bra covering her breasts, a fair sized B-cup. It was clear she'd had to tape the breasts down to pass as a male, and since they weren't tiny that probably hadn't been the most pleasant experience. The fact that she had borne it without giving a hint of discomfort showed Jinx how much she had wanted to keep this secret. "It only works if they don't know."

"Did Blood?"

"Blood was content to know he could control me. He didn't bother looking beyond the surface." Nightwalker said, as she returned to packing.

Jinx stood in the doorway for a bit, and then stepped in and closed it.

"Why?" She asked.

"You don't know?" Nightwalker replied.

"Maybe. But not entirely." Jinx said.

Nightwalker looked at her for a bit, and then sighed.

"Listen to me Jinx. Do I sound intimidating to you? Would you take me seriously?"

"…Nightwalker, I can't pass that judgment. I've seen what you're capable of…you're amazing…"

"Am I Jinx? And does that even matter?" Nightwalker said, as she shut another section of her suitcase. She sighed again.

"I was born in a small town buried in the Midwest Jinx, a hundred miles from anywhere as you might say, a real definition of a Podunk. The place was a throwback to the way people used to live. That had its advantages. It was a fairly safe place. It had its secrets, but no soul-shattering ones like the kind found in Shirley Jackson novellas. It was lucky enough to be self-sustaining. It was a good place…but like I said Jinx, it was a throwback. And that included the way we were treated. What we were expected to be."

Nightwalker resumed packing, talking all the while.

"I loved my family. My dad, my mom, my older brothers…we were happy…but only to a point. Because the hierarchy was set, and by the basis of my sex, I was always supposed to be on the bottom. And I wanted to be more, Jinx. They tried to label me a tomboy, and said I would grow out of it…it being my sense of independence. My mom was a sweet woman…but my dad made all the decisions, and she was happy to let him. It was the way it was. The wide world, yeah they tried other ways, but hey, look at the mess the wide world is in, right? This way kept everything working…so this way was it. If you don't fit, well…you have to be made to."

Nightwalker smiled, a hint of bitterness around her eyes.

"They never hit me, abused me, put me down…at least not outright. But every time I wanted to do something 'above my station'…well they just wouldn't let me. I wanted to play sports, the boys wouldn't let me. I wanted to learn how to fight, my dad wouldn't teach me. I wanted to learn more, they wouldn't advance me past grades that I was far above. They just did their best to make sure I stayed in my spot Jinx. That eventually, I'd grow to accept it. Only I never did. Because as I grew older, I got better then them Jinx. I could run faster, hit harder, think and learn quicker then any male in my town, child, teenage or adult. They wouldn't teach me, so I found books and movies and anything else I could get my hands on and I taught myself. I don't know if I possess some kind of all-around metagene that allowed me to do this or if it was simply my determination and will…but I was better then them Jinx. I'm not bragging, I simply was. I never thought I was superior to them for it. I was raised better then that. All I wanted was for them to accept that just because it always worked for them didn't mean it would work for me. But they wouldn't Jinx. They couldn't."

The packing was done. Nightwalker closed her suitcase and stared at it.

"We may have been out of the way, but we weren't isolated. I could see, from the TV and the Internet, that there was more to living then what I knew. I knew that out there, I could find something different…and eventually, I did. You see, there was a fire. Friend of mine from school. I saved her life, and the life of her whole family, minus one. I dragged them all out of the burning building, and going back for the last, her older brother, I was overcome by the smoke. Luckily the fire department had arrived by then. One of the firefighters dragged the boy and I out. I went to the hospital, and as I recovered I thought this might be it. They'd finally have to accept they couldn't pidgeonhole me…"

Nightwalker's eyes were sad.

"Imagine my surprise when the fireman was being touted for saving all those lives. They gave him all the credit. In the reports I was just some silly girl who didn't know what she was doing. They knew what I did. They all did. But they accepted the story. Better that then making waves. Better that then change…change that could ruin the fragile little world they lived in. And once I realized that, that was it. I knew I didn't belong there and I couldn't stay there. So I left. I was fourteen."

"Fourteen?" Jinx said.

"Yeah, and lucky. I avoided most of the pitfalls of the world…my gifts helped. But Jinx…I found that when I left…yeah, I found something different. But it wasn't any better. I tried to find people who could help me, teach me more, show me my way…and I'm a good judge of character. But Jinx, everywhere I went…all men. They were in charge everywhere. Some wouldn't look me in the eye. Some didn't want to truly teach me because of my sex. Hell, some tried to break me to show me my 'place'. I learned a lot Jinx…you saw that for yourself. But I also learned that people simply would not take me seriously as long as they knew my sex." Nightwalker said, and then snickered. "Betelgeuse was surprised I had a gray magic field. He's right, those are immensely rare. You know how I got it? Ever heard of Klarion, the Witch Boy?"

"The supreme warlock Klarion?" Jinx said in shock.

"Yeah. They call him Witch Boy because he appears to be stuck in the form of a young boy. But when I met him, some huge messup had transformed him into a teenager. He eventually managed to turn himself back…but before he did he became…quite…enamored with me. Must have been a rush of hormones: you'd think he would be able to do better then chasing tail."

"You…"

"No. It was for services rendered: I helped him get an artifact that was a key to turning himself back. But I knew that part of the reason he gave me such a great gift instead of an average one was probably because the newly aged part of him wanted to get in my pants. That, and nothing more. And once that happened…I finally realized that it was never going to work. Not unless I changed myself."

"…Well…Nightwalker…I can understand that…but heck, some of the deadliest and most feared people on Earth in our fields are female. Lady Shiva, the new Batgirl…"

"I know…but I'm not them. Maybe one day, but not know. And I'm sick of it." Nightwalker said, as she pulled on and zipped up the upper half of her costume. "So I taped down my breasts and put on a helmet and passed myself off as a male. And they all vanished Jinx. True, some people were put off by my aloofness, but that was balanced and exceeded by the fact that people suddenly respected my skills, my abilities…who I am."

"…You shouldn't live a lie Nightwalker."

"Not a lie Jinx. A misdirection. I'm not ashamed of who I am. But until I truly find that out…it had to be that way. And now that you know…it won't work Jinx. I have to go elsewhere. You can't change my mind." Nightwalker said.

"So you _are_ leaving."

"This night has taught me more then anything Blood could. But I still have more to learn. And not here." Nightwalker said, as she pulled her suitcase off the bed. "You're a good girl Jinx. You kept me alive. And you gave me something worth dying for. In this world, that's a true measure of a man…or a woman."

"…You did too…" Jinx said, and blushed suddenly. "Uh…sorry about…the med room thing…I was…uh…"

"You were confused Jinx. The essence…and something else. There's someone out there you have feelings for Jinx, and from the depth of your confusion, I'd say it's someone on the other side. Maybe even a Titan."

Jinx's eyes widened a bit.

"Don't look so shocked. I'm smarter then the average gal, remember." Nightwalker said, tapping her head. "My advice is to follow your heart girl. It can be hard, but it's for the best. Take it from me. I don't know where the future lies, but I know that it's better then anything that would have come to me in my home town."

"…Ok." Jinx said.

Nightwalker walked up to Jinx, and offered her a hand.

Jinx hugged her instead. Nightwalker was a bit taken aback, and then returned it.

"Will I ever see you again?" Jinx asked.

"Maybe." Nightwalker replied, and pressed the button to open the door. Blood was still yelling at Savior at this time, and the halls were empty. No one would see her leave.

"Oh Jinx…one more thing. About the med room thing…it was kind of sweet. But you're not my type."

And as Nightwalker left, Jinx thought that comment over…and then blushed to the roots of her hair.

"…Oh." Jinx said, as Nightwalker walked down the hall, dragging her case on wheels. She gave a brief wave. Jinx waved back, and then Nightwalker turned around the corner.

"…And just like that…he's gone." Jinx said.

* * *

By the time Savior left the room, Nightwalker was long gone, having hotwired a car and taken off for parts unknown. 

Though he kept his face calm, Savior was quite relieved. He'd managed to talk his way out of the trouble after all. Of course, his mission was a wreck, and he'd little in the way of the information he had needed…but at least he was alive. Not just from Blood's wrath, but from surviving another night with the boogeymen.

His wounds were gone, like last time. Last time it had been a direct heart stab, and Uberjason thought he had matched said lethal wound…but the holopin disguise hadn't just changed Savior's look, it had altered his body size as well. Jason's supposed stab through his torso had in fact got through the area just under his armpit, the concentrated armor of his jacket bunched there providing the resistance Uberjason had attributed to Flense's apparatus. It had still sliced him pretty good (hence the blood trail), but with the Shimmer acting as stitches it was only a nasty flesh wound. The Shimmer undercover had also allowed him to take the original Jason side chop (it had hit a Shimmer barrier beneath his clothing, which hurt like a motherfucker but deflected the blade enough to avoid major damage), and to escape Sadako's drowning curse: the Shimmer had forced the water out of his lungs. That had been highly unpleasant, but it had worked, and it had allowed Savior to get back up and finish the job…thanks to Jinx, whose yell of 'Just stop the movie' had made Savior realize what he had to really do to finally end the night of horror.

He'd been lucky, considering how wrong he had gambled. The battle with Uberjason had made him briefly pass out with shock and exhaustion, but he'd woken up after a bit and made his way back upstairs. While hunting for survivors, he had found the TV room, covered with bodies, all laid out in display, much like how many slashers liked to do with their victims. A quick search of the room had turned up the tape, a tape Savior had recognized. After all, he'd only spent the whole month of October studying horror films in case history repeated itself, before he had volunteered for the undercover job. As for pretending to be a body…Savior could only chalk that up to the unknown. He'd just about been ready to leave when he'd felt it, a roiling sensation in his guts, and he knew that wherever the evil was, it was coming his way. Focused on its targets, it had never known Savior was there, and hence he'd just lain down, played dead…and managed to win anyway despite guessing wrongly in his choice of tactic.

Well, he'd always been good at thinking on his feet. Too bad that hadn't kept his holopin disguise from shorting out.

Savior made a brief side trip into a room and came out with Nigel's weapons tied in a bundle. He'd brought them upstairs and left them there to send back to the Tower later, but he guessed he had to carry them now, as he picked them up and headed on.

He found the hallway that Melanie had run across when it had all began. The doors were open now, the lockdown canceled, the shield disabled. As far as the base knew, nothing had ever happened.

Savior had almost reached the door when it opened, and someone came in, heading the other way. The sun backlit her for a second (morning. Huh. More time had passed then he thought), obscuring her before she walked closer.

Savior found himself looking at a girl with blonde hair, a nice face, a fair body, wrapped in white cloaks…and the coldest, deadest eyes Savior had ever seen. She made Sadako look warm-hearted.

"Do I know you?" Lucinda DaFoe asked.

Savior just stared, blinking once. Lucinda decided the strange white-haired man wasn't worth any attention and walked on, calmly passing Savior and heading down the hallway. She'd been working for Blood for some time now, but she hadn't cared to know of the enemies Blood faced, and hence had never seen the Titans. She did not recognize Savior.

Savior would not realize until much later how good a thing that was.

Savior stared after Lucinda, unable to believe the depth of the darkness. He'd seen glints of such things before, in sociopathic little gangsters who thought they were tough and poisoned minds who no longer believed that the rules of society applied to them. But with them, the darkness was projected out, an attempt to show strength and supposed superiority. This darkness didn't do that…it didn't have to: it was so deep and terrible it drew the normal world in, obliterating it under sheer entropy.

Savior swallowed as he reflected on the sight, and he realized that for all their terror, for all their power, for all their ability to deal death…the monsters of horror forever paled next to the truly great evils. Those belonged solely to mankind.

Savior turned and exited the school. A few minutes later, he found a car, from which a very sleepy eyed Melanie was exiting. She had partied too hard: Blood was gonna chew her ass out…

"Hey do you know…" Melanie said as Savior walked past her, and much to her surprise he actually got in her car and somehow started it without keys. "HEY! THAT'S MY CAR!"

"Then report it stolen." Savior shot back, and drove away.

* * *

Several hours later. 

The members of the Hive were in the main cafeteria, both students and drones. Blood had called for a meeting. Everything had been put away, and no trace had been found of the chaos magic that had so twisted the building, but as most students had gathered, that wouldn't be enough for Blood. And it wasn't.

There were a few conspicuous absences. Lucinda was off doing her own thing, as usual, and the students preferred it that way. Nightwalker had strangely disappeared as well: Jinx had said that after the night he'd had, on top of dying, he'd decided the Hive was more trouble then it was worth and left. Everyone had pretty much accepted the story: only Shimmer had thought it was fishy, and she'd kept her thoughts to herself.

To Blood, losing another student just one more weight on a seemingly endless pile of them, and now it was time for some payback.

"I STILL don't know just what the hell happened last night, but I know one thing: all of you are going to be graded on it!"

"WHAT?" Was the general response.

"Oh don't worry, this won't take long, because you ALL FAILED!" Blood roared. "The lot of you were in total disarray! You abandoned the only leaders among the lot of you, and most of you died pathetically!"

"That could apply to you too, dipstick." Floral muttered at the Elemental table.

"DO I HEAR TALKING? THERE SHOULD NOT BE TALKING!"

Silence.

"As I said, PATHETIC! Only ONE of you did anything of value and only one of you gets a passing grade for this 'combat exercise'. He showed a great degree of tenacity and foresight, and really came through for the school for a whole!"

The Hive looked around in confusion, wondering just who that was. Juryrig and Flay pondered if it was them, while Gizmo decided it was him and started puffing himself up. Jinx held her tongue and didn't say the only two people who deserved such an award were no longer at the school.

"Buzz Bomb, with his brilliant Mutually Assured Destruction plan!"

The noise of the united facevault sounded like a bomb going off.

"Yes! I win! I am the champion!" Buzz Bomb said, as he got up and danced on his table. He'd been down the whole day since the drones had forced him to remove and disarm each of his bombs, threatening to tell Blood of said bombs and how they would have blown up his school if Buzz Bomb didn't turn them all off. Much to everyone's surprise, it seemed Blood had known all along.

That didn't mean everyone accepted it.

"………..WHAT?" Jinx yelled.

"I object!" Rocko yelled, pounding the table.

"I back that objection!" Mammoth said, doing likewise.

"Really? I DON'T CARE!" Blood roared back. "He is the only one of you lot who accomplished anything!"

"He abandoned us like twelve times, was annoying and cowardly and incompetent, and then he tried to kill us all!" Gizmo yelled.

"The one who saved all our asses and brought YOU back to life headmaster, was a frikkin' TITAN!" Jinx added.

"May I cite items 44 and 81 of the Villain's Creed, which you all should have memorized." Blood said. "44: I am a villain, ergo I have no needs greater then self-preservation at all costs! 81: A villain must always have a self-destruct device ready for any base or weapon of mass destruction he makes! Buzz Bomb did both admirably. True, he lacked in execution but hey, that's why you're students instead of professionals."

More grumbling.

"Be quiet! We have wasted enough time! Your party has resulted in a severe drop in efficiency, therefore training drills will be doubled for the next three days, and the entire base is on lockdown for the next week!"

Loud groans.

"Shut up! Maybe next time you won't prove yourselves to all be incompetent gits! Now get out of my sight!" Blood yelled, and then decided that himself leaving would be easy and did so, disappearing in the nearest door.

"Can'tyoudoanythingDanielle?" Zippy complained.

"Like to Sal, but I'm already pressing my luck. Let's let him cool down." Scorcher replied.

"Can you do anything about THAT?" Wilby asked, pointing at the still dancing Buzz Bomb.

"I'd roast him, but that'd be a waste of good fire." Scorcher replied.

At her table, Jinx sighed.

"So, Jinx, your friend Nightwalker…he really left?" Gizmo asked, suddenly beside her.

"Yeah."

"Henh. Knew he didn't have what it took."

Jinx glared at Gizmo.

"Whoa lighten up Llarenes! You still got us!" Gizmo said, pointing to Mammoth, Shimmer, and himself. Shimmer was petting Mittens, who had finally calmed down enough to let his master carry him around.

"Yeah, for better or for worse." Jinx replied.

"Speaking of for worse, why don't we get out of here before Blood comes back with more punishments." Mammoth said, and the Troika (plus Shimmer) started heading off.

Buzz Bomb danced into their path.

"Ah, Jinx! Reconsidered considering that I was the only one who got a passing grade?"

WHAM!

The punch knocked Buzz Bomb flat on his ass. That was not surprising.

What was that was Shimmer had thrown it.

"…Sis?" Mammoth said, as Shimmer lowered and shook out her hand.

"I have my limits big brother. Come on, Mittens is hungry."

"BWAHAHAHAHA! ONE PUNCH! ONE PUNCH!" Gizmo laughed.

"Strange. I swear I've heard that one before." Jinx said as the Troika walked off.

"Say guys, what happened?" Flay asked as he, Seemore, and some Hive drones including Belinda joined the leaving group.

"Selinda knocked Buzz flat out with one punch."

"Shimmer punched someone OUT? That someone was BUZZ BOMB? And I MISSED it? God, I'm depressed…" Flay said as the group left.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh…it's lonely at the top." Buzz Bomb groaned.

* * *

"Man…all that preparation, all that readying, all that setting up…and for what? Nothing! We get ready for a war and we don't even get a freaking scout force." Beast Boy complained as Cyborg finished resetting the computer so the defenses were at a lower ebb and the whole system wasn't wired to blow the hell out of anything that breathed on it. 

"You sound like you're disappointed." Cyborg said.

"Well no…but come on man! I was ready this year! Last year I got hooked and whacked around and hit with machetes and all that, but THIS year I could have shown them! I'd have taught them all a lesson! After they were done with Beast Boy, they'd never want to come out of their corner of reality again!" Beast Boy said, as he shadowboxed.

"Hey, someone's coming up the bridge." Terra said, looking at a computer monitor.

Beast Boy screamed and hid behind Cyborg.

"My hero." Terra said sarcastically.

"Someone's coming up the bridge?" Robin said from his computer, as he tried to call up the security cam footage.

"Is it a monster?" Starfire asked, flying over.

"Can I hit it with my stick?" Scalpel said as he too bounded over.

"It's…it's SAVIOR?" Robin said in confusion, as the camera zoomed in.

It was indeed Savior, who had looked up at the zoomed in camera and waved.

"…Is he carrying my weapons?" Scalpel asked.

Robin whirled in his chair, about to call for Raven…and found her already floating there.

"Ah…Raven, bring me and Cy out there. Just in case."

"Affirmative." Raven said, as Cyborg jumped over, as Raven enveloped both of them in her cloak and vanished.

Savior was not all that surprised when the three appeared in front of him.

"That you Savior?" Cyborg said, his cannon armed just in case.

"We'll see. Savior, what's my real name and your name changed to numbers and written backwards?"

"That's a stupid question. You're stupid Robin." Savior replied.

"It's him. That's the correct answer." Robin said. Cyborg glanced sideways at him. "Do what they wouldn't expect. Savior uh…not that I'm not glad to see you…but what happened to the spy mission?"

"You know Operation Market Garden? It struck again." Savior replied. Robin groaned.

"Raven, take us back."

"As you wish."

* * *

"Ok, now just what DID happen?" Robin asked several minutes later, as Savior sat at the kitchen table, sipping strong tea. Everyone was there except Scalpel and Sophie, who had gone to put his weapons away. 

"Well Robin, you remember that incident last year? Crazy shit with movies, we all nearly died, etc etc?"

"Yeah, we prepared but it didn't happen ag…NO."

"Yep. Guess who was a guest of the Hive? Control Freak. And it happened all over again. It was pretty bad, but I made it out. Make a note of this Robin: the effect of the reality warp is completely reversed once the key is found. Unlike us, a lot of people died in the Hive. They came back afterward."

"They did? That's…interesting." Robin said.

"That's dangerous. Chaos magic on that scale can cause serious damage to the fabric of reality. For all we know…" Raven said.

"Yes yes we know Rae." Savior said.

"Don't interrupt me." Raven said, hitting Savior on the shoulder.

"Hey, you're the ones who got a night off. Me…not so much." Savior said.

"I knew it wasn't safe. I should have…" Starfire said, wringing her hands.

"Kory…it's done. You couldn't have done anything." Savior said. "Raven…could you do me a favor?"

"Yes Noel?"

"Your magic books. Go fetch the…" Savior said, and then said a word that sounded like he was trying to vomit up a flaming pinecone.

"Whowhatthis?" Gauntlet said.

"I want to make sure there's no residual effects on me." Savior said, as Raven nodded and vanished in the shadows. "Unfortunately, the event broke my cover. I tried my best to keep it, even stayed 'in character' when I was alone, but when I reversed the effects like you did last year it caused too much feedback in my disguise systems. Sorry guys."

"Not your fault. What did you get for info?

"Little to none."

"Great. Well we'll comb through it. This is the boring part guys, you may as well go." Robin said.

"Race you to the leftover candy!" Beast Boy said, turning into a greyhound and running off.

"No way! You ate it all last year!" Gauntlet yelled as he gave chase, the rest of the Titans engaging in the mad race, leaving Savior, Robin, and Cyborg.

"I guess I better go get Dopplegang Man and tell him his mission's been cut short." Cyborg said.

"Pay him his full fee anyway. I don't want someone who can look like anyone holding a grudge against us." Robin said. Cyborg nodded and left the room.

"Ok Noel, what did you only want to tell ME?" Robin said: he knew Noel's cues.

"Well, like I said, I only got the most basic info Robin. Whatever the Hive is building, it's BIG. But I couldn't get any kind of a location, and after I was exposed their security will be pretty much impenetrable. We better get ready Robin. Whatever's coming, it's gonna be bad."

"I gathered that." Robin replied.

"I hate to add more bad news to the list." Raven said as she reappeared. "That book Noel asked for? It's not for purifying spells. It's for dark forces, their manipulations…and their genesis'."

"What does that mean?" Robin asked.

"Kory was afraid we opened a door to some bad place. I think we may have done more then that. I think we may have, inadvertently…created a bad place."

"What?"

"Chaos does not easily take a form on its own. It has to be manipulated…whether those manipulations are deliberate or accidental. Noel, tell me what you saw."

Savior spent five minutes speaking of the 'essence', how it had grown stronger the longer it was in the Hive, how it had seemingly achieved its own malefic sentience and had used and manipulated the elements and 'rules' that had spilled into the Hive to not just promote death but ensure it.

"I could feel it going back. It fought the dismissal, all the way. I barely managed to get rid of it. I just hope all of it actually went. And even if I did get rid of all of it, that's only going to make it angrier. If. " Savior said.

"So you're saying that when this happened last year, we didn't so much let the twisted reality of the horror films into your reality as we so much…made said twisted reality?"

"In a sense. In the accident last year, we may very well have defined the realm it came from, put a face on nameless darkness. We also forged a connection to it in the process. We banished it last year before it could stay long enough to gain strength, and none of us died. Time and death fueled it this time, and only luck allowed Savior to banish it…Next time…"

"Is there going to be a next time?" Robin asked.

"You know Hollywood Robin." Savior said. "They love trilogies."

* * *

"How do you do it Slade?" The Lord said, as he watched Slade finish counting up his money. 

"If I revealed my secrets, dark one, then how could I keep winning?" Slade said. "That aside, I know the types that won't let death define them. That Rocko golem is one."

"Hey, I was close too."

"Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, as the saying goes Lord. Though I must admit, you handled your loss considerably better then the lunatic handled his win." Slade said. Indeed, Jack's celebration of his 'man' surviving had degenerated into a screaming fury when said man was revealed to be Savior. The Lord had ejected Jack from the bar for his outburst and slammed him into a wall a few times for good measure. Killjoy had calmly counted out his money and left when Scorcher had died, and the White Hole was hitting up every passerby for money to cover her losses until the Lord ordered her to get back to cleaning up.

"Enough chit-chat Lordy Lordy. Time to get ready for this week's orders. You promised to spruce up the bar and it's about time you put your money where your mouth is. Lack of money notwithstanding." The Sorceress sad, dumping a catalogue in front of the Lord.

"Ha ha. You spend the whole story thinking that one up?" The Lord said. Slade had left, so the Lord began paging through the catalogue.

"And don't pick out pieces of junk!" The Sorceress yelled from the back.

"I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING WOMAN!" The Lord yelled back, as he continued pouring over the catalogue.

He stopped at a page. There was a nice looking orb. Probably look good over the bar. Not bad in terms of price either.

"Hmmmmmmm…" The Lord said, as he studied the ad, writing down the name on a piece of paper.

A crash sounded nearby, and the Lord sighed and headed into the kitchen.

The pad remained on the counter, the words staring up from it.

ORB OF ARCHETYPAL.

* * *

_Credits begin rolling, as 'Don't Fear The Reaper' by Blue Oyster Cult plays over them._

**_Slasher Star Classification and Stats_**

Returning Slashers

Michael Myers (_Carpenterus Hallowseveus_) and Jason Voorhees as Uberjason (_Goodgodus whywontyoudieus_).

**Cropsy**  
_Janitorus hedgeclipperyourass_  
Played By: Lou David  
Footage:  
(1981) _The Burning_ by Tony Maylam  
Body Count: 9

_Co-written with Jedi-And and Bobcat_.

**William 'Billy' Caldwell**  
_Thereisnos santaclaus_  
Played By: Robert Brian Wilson  
Footage:  
(1984) _Silent Night, Deadly Night_ by Charles E. Sellier, Jr.  
Body Count: 8

_Did you see what the chapter titles spelled?_

**Angela Baker**  
_Nosin infrunuvher_  
Played By: Felissa Rose, Pamela Springsteen  
Footage:  
(1983) _Sleepaway Camp_ by Robert Hiltzik  
(1988) _Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers_ by Michael A. Simpson  
(1989) _Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland_ by Michael A. Simpson  
Body Count: 45

_Yeah that's where I got the title. Sue me._

**Betelgeuse**  
_Burtonus randy andhow_  
Played By: Michael Keaton  
Footage:  
(1989) _Beetlejuice_ by Tim Burton  
Body Count: Zero!

_At least I'm PRETTY sure it's zero…  
Betelgeuse: I wuz robbed…_

**The Nemesis**  
_Stubbornes STARS_  
Played By: A bunch of polygons  
'Footage':  
(1999) _Resident Evil 3: Nemesis_ by Capcom  
Body Count: 4 definite, god knows how many zombies that crossed its path.

_I'm not counting the movie version. That was an insult to the Nemesis._

**The Creeper**  
_Mcguyverus goddamnuglyus_  
Played By: Jonathon Breck  
Footage:  
(2001)_ Jeepers Creepers_ by Victor Salva  
(2003)_ Jeepers Creepers 2_ by Victor Salva  
Body Count: 19 fresh, untold hundreds stretching back for centuries. 

_Congratulations, I Come Anon(ymously), for figuring out my whole frikkin' plot by Part 4. No wait, congratulations isn't the word. What's the word? Oh yes. GO AWAY. Ok that's two words, but you deserve it you friggin' plot…figurer…outerer…MOVING ON…_

**Sil **  
_Ovulastus constantum_  
Played By: Nastasha Henstridge  
Footage:  
(1995) _Species_ by Roger Donaldson  
Body Count: 14

_I wanted to use The Ramones' 'Pet Semetary' for the credits, but I was sure the chorus would confuse people and it defied my efforts to alter/parody it. Oh well._

**The Tall Man… **  
_Demonicus anemicus_  
Played by: Angus Scrimm  
Footage:  
(1979) _Phantasm_ by Don Coscarelli  
(1988) _Phantasm II_ by Don Coscarelli  
(1994) _Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead_ by Don Coscarelli  
(1998) _Phantasm: OblIVion_ by Don Coscarelli  
Body Count: 79 (plus a whole lot more suggested)

_Go rent Child's Play 2 this year. The ending sequence is worth it._

**…and the Silver Sphere (Sentinel)**  
_Forkballim minddrillicus_  
Played By: A lot of overworked and underpaid puppeteers  
Footage: (see above)  
Body Count: 5 people, 2 hands, 1 ear, 4 doors, and 1 rat

_If I do a third one, it will be, at the very least, SHORTER! _

**Pyramid Head**  
_Phallicus metallicus_  
Played By: More advanced groups of polygons  
'Footage':  
(2001)_ Silent Hill 2_ by Konami  
Body Count: 2  
Rape Count: 1  
Creepy Count: 10,000,000,000,000

_Be sure to check my Danny Phantom Halloween one shot as well. What? I ran out of stuff to say here! You try and think of constant wittiness after writing a frikkin 328 page horror story!_

**Leatherface **  
_Crazyassim chainsawwielderum_  
Played By: Gunnar Hanson, Bill Johnson, R.A Mihailoff, Robert Jacks, Andrew Bryniarski  
Footage:  
(1974) _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ by Tobe Hooper  
(1986) _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2_ by Tobe Hooper  
(1990) _Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III_ by Jeff Burr  
(1994)_ The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ by Kim Henkel  
(2003) _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ by Marcus Nispel  
Body Count: 17

_Freddy: I should have come back too!  
Quiet you._

**Samara/Sadako**  
_I would tell you, but then YOU'D DIE IN SEVEN DAYS_  
Played By: (Sadako) Miura Ayane, Kimura Tae, Inou Rie, Saeki Hinako, Nakama Yukie (Samara) Daveigh Chase, Kelly Stables  
Footage:  
(Sadako)  
(1998) _Ringu_ by Nakata Hideo  
(1998) _Raisen_ by Iida Jouji  
(1999) _Ring 2_ by Nakata Hideo  
(2000) _Ring O_ by Tsuruta Norio  
(Samara)  
(2002) _The Ring_ by Gore Verkinski  
(2005) _The Ring 2_ by Hideo Nakata  
Body Count: 9 for Sadako, 11 for Samara, and who knows how many else from the curse…

_And we're done._

_Or maybe not.

* * *

_

The room was dark and quiet, having been locked up for the night. All the stuff from the aborted Halloween party had been stored there: tables, couches, televisions…

And sitting on a crate…

_"I just hope all of it actually went…"_

The Camera Obscura.

It sat there on the crate, forgotten by Shimmer. Forgotten by everyone.

And those who do not learn from the past…

Well, you know the rest.

As the nearest TV turned itself on, despite not being plugged in, and the room was lit by a faint glow, the TV hissing static.

And maybe we briefly see the outline of a hand pressed up against the screen.

Maybe.

As we pan away, leaving the room, looked over by the glowing television.

And telling ourselves we don't hear the howl of violent, unbelievable evil.

The End…

…?


End file.
